Blind Love
by Sarjhi
Summary: ALL HUMAN. Emmett was born blind. None of the girls at Forks High School treat him as a whole man becuase of it. Will the new girl, Bella Swan, be any different. ExR, AxJ, EmxB, CxE.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Warnings: Rated M. Take this rating seriously. NO FLAMES…if you have constructive criticism, that is welcome, if you don't, get over yourselves. If you don't like it…stop reading it. Easy enough.

A/N: This will be an Emmett/Bella story. She was never with Edward, and she doesn't have any feelings for him. Emmett was never with Rosalie. The pairings are: Emmett/Bella, Jasper/Alice, Carlisle/Esme, Edward/Rosalie. ALL HUMAN!!!! All Points of View will be Emmett or Bella.

EPOV

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! I groaned and threw my arm out from under the covers, feeling around on my nightstand for the irritating source of the even more irritating sound. I smacked it several times, but it wouldn't shut up so I grabbed it and threw it across the room. Finally, blissful silence. I buried my head into the pillow and was just about to drift off to sleep when Alice landed on my bed. I yelped and sat straight up. I heard her giggle and I growled at her.

"Alice, you scared the HELL out of me," I snapped.

"Well, you should have gotten up with your alarm clock," my pixie of a sister said, laughing again.

"You're a pain in the ass, Ali," I told her.

"You need to get up Emmett. We're going to be late if you don't get ready."

"I don't wanna go," I whined, pulling the covers back up over my head.

"You have to Emmy," she said, pulling them back down. This was a daily battle. I hate school. "If you don't get up, I'm going to get Edward to help me." Damn her threats.

"Ali," I whined. "Five more minutes, please."

"NO!" she yelled. "Emmett, I'm going to count to three, and if you don't get your rear end out of this bed, I'm going to get Edward. One…" I yanked the covers over my head and did my best to ignore her. "Two…" Her voice was getting more deadly. "Three! EDWARD!" A moment later my younger brother came in the room. He and Ali are twins, but Edward is much calmer than she is.

"Emmett, when are you going to learn to just give in to her? It would make your life a lot easier," Edward sighed. I grumbled but did not come out from under the covers.

Ice fucking freezing cold water came down on my head. I yelped and sat straight up, shaking my head. I heard Alice give a little shriek and jump away from me. "Asshole," I muttered.

"Sorry, Em, but you know how she is."

"Yeah, I know. Will you two just get out so I can get ready?" I capitulated, throwing the covers completely off.

"EMMETT WHY DIDN'T YOU WARN ME YOU WERE ALMOST NAKED?" Alice demanded at top level. I smirked in her general direction.

"Ali, I'm wearing boxers. It's not my fault you can't seem to leave well enough alone." She dashed out of the room, yelping about how she was scarred for life and would never be able to burn the image from her brain. Edward chuckled.

"I don't get it," I said. "She's seen me in my boxers before."

"Um, Em, it was more the position your boxers were in than the boxers themselves."

"What?"

"She saw what boxers are supposed to hide," Edward elaborated a bit.

"Oh." I started to laugh, a booming sound that echoed throughout the room. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll be ready in fifteen minutes."

I went into my bathroom and got into my shower, washing quickly before drying off and going back into my room. I opened my dresser drawers and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, pulling them on and finding a pair of socks—Ali matched them up for me so I could wear matching ones—and pulled on my sneakers. I retrieved my sunglasses and cane and walked downstairs. Everyone else was already in the kitchen and I could hear Jasper and Rosalie as well. Jasper is my best friend and has been since he stood up for me in the first grade when I moved here and the other kids made fun of me for being blind. I've been blind since birth. Jasper is also Alice's boyfriend. Rosalie is Jasper's twin sister and Edward's girlfriend. Jasper, Rose, and I are all seniors, and Edward and Alice are juniors. The five of us are a group, but sometimes it's awkward not having a girlfriend when the rest of the group is paired up.

"Hey, everyone," I said as I walked into the kitchen. I stepped towards the table and my foot caught on something and I fell forward. "Shit!" I cursed as I threw out my arms to stop my fall.

"Emmett, are you all right?!" everyone cried out, rushing forward to help me up. Edward and Jasper grabbed my arms and hauled me up.

"Thanks," I said, mentally checking myself over to make sure I wasn't hurt.

"Emmett, do you need medical attention?" my father, Carlisle, asked. He's a doctor at Forks Hospital.

"No, I'm fine. What did I trip over?" I asked.

"My backpack," Rosalie spoke up. "I'm so sorry, Emmett. I shouldn't have left it there."

"It's all good. Shit happens," I told her.

"Emmett, watch your language," Esme, my mom, warned me.

"Sorry, Mom." I sat down at the table and grabbed a piece of toast.

"Hurry and eat, Emmy," Alice said, "or we're going to be late for school."

"With the way you and Edward drive, Pixie, we could leave five minutes before class started and still be on time," I snorted. She giggled but didn't deny it.

On the way to school, Alice told all of us that she heard Chief Swan's daughter from Arizona would be arriving at Forks High today. No one knew much about her.

I made my way to my first class, but it was slow going this morning—I had realized when I left the house this morning that I'd forgotten my cane—but I finally made it there. The morning passed slowly, but the entire population of Forks High was buzzing about the new girl—Bella Swan. I made it to lunch and sat down with Ali, Jasper, Edward, and Rose. Ali usually brought lunch to me. Navigating through the crowded cafeteria with a tray full of food is disaster waiting to happen.

"Emmy, have you met the new girl yet?" Alice asked as she plopped a tray full of food in front of me.

"Isn't she a junior?" I asked, biting into my sandwich.

"Yeah, and she's really sweet! She's in two of my classes and she's in Edward's biology class."

"Ali, I probably won't have her in any of my classes. Where else would I meet her?" I pointed out.

"I could introduce you," she said. I knew that tone of voice.

"Alice Cullen, don't even think about it," I warned. "Do not try to set me up on another date."

"But Emmett, she's perfect for you," she protested.

"No, Alice." I set about eating my lunch and ignoring my little sister's pleas for me to allow her to set me up with the new girl. I had attempted dating but every girl at Forks High treats me like an invalid half the time—it makes dating them hell. I'm a big guy—I work out a lot—but they still act like I'm not a whole man. It's depressing.

***

The week flew by and before I knew it, it was Friday and the bell rang to let us out of school. I walked out to Edward's Volvo with Edward and Rosalie, and we were waiting for Alice and Jasper. Jasper got there soon, but I didn't hear the Pixie chirping.

"Where's Ali?" I asked him.

"She's bringing Bella to your house for a sleepover tonight—Rose and I are going to be there too—so she's riding with her to make sure she can get there," he answered.

"Oh. I didn't realize she'd gotten so close to the new girl."

"Well you would have known if you didn't change the subject every time her name was mentioned," Edward pointed out.

"Shut up," I muttered, getting into the car.

A/N: Review please!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I got one asking me to clear up whether this would be Emmett/Bella or Edward/Bella. This will definitely be Emmett/Bella. Some of the characters are going to be a little OOC, like Rosalie (she's not her usual bitchy self), so I guess that's a warning. On to the new chapter!

BPOV

This past week has been pretty good. I was pretty sure I was going to hate Forks, but I've made friends. Alice and Edward Cullen are really nice. They're in some of my classes and they're both juniors, but they're both dating seniors. I've met both Jasper and Rosalie, and they seem really nice. They have an older brother that I haven't met yet. I've been invited to eat lunch with them, but at the beginning of the week, one of my teachers assigned a group project due Friday (today) and I've been working on it with them this past week at lunch because it's the only time we could arrange for the entire group to get together.

Alice has invited me to a slumber party tonight at her house. Edward, Rosalie, Jasper, and their brother, Emmett, will all be there too. Finally, school was let out and Alice followed me to my truck. We were going to go to my house first so I could grab an overnight bag (she had just asked me to go this morning) and then we would go to her house.

"So are you excited?" she asked me as she jumped into my truck—which for her size, was a feat in itself.

"Yeah, I guess. I haven't gone to many slumber parties."

"Well, you're going to have tons of fun. We stay up all night and watch movies, eat junk food, and play games. My parents said we could have the living room, as long as we aren't too loud. Dad needs his sleep so he doesn't fall asleep when he's working on a patient or something."

"Okay. Do I need anything other than clothes and a toothbrush?"

"Well, usually we're all in our pajamas, so make sure you bring those…but other than that, if you have a movie you really want to watch, you can bring it."

"All right…why don't you come on in and I'll get my stuff?" I said as I pulled into the driveway. Charlie was home, so I didn't have to worry about calling the police station—he's the chief of police for Forks.

"Dad, I'm home!" I called.

"In the living room, Bells!" he called back. Alice followed me in there, where Charlie had a game on the television.

"Dad, this is my friend, Alice Cullen. Alice, this is my dad, Charlie."

"Nice to meet you, Alice," Charlie said.

"You too, Chief Swan."

"Call me Charlie."

"Okay. Is it all right with you if Bella comes over to my house for a sleepover?" she asked him.

"Sure. I'm glad to see she's making friends."

"Great!" Alice clapped her hands and bounced a little before following me up to my room. I grabbed my small duffel bag from under the bed and tossed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, clean underwear, socks, my toothbrush, hairbrush, and deodorant.

"Which pajamas should I bring?" I asked Alice.

"Where do you keep them?" she replied.

"They're in the top drawer." She opened it and pulled out all of the pajamas I had. I have sweats and a ratty old t-shirt that I usually wear, but she immediately passed those over for a pair of blue silk pants and a blue silk tank top—a set I had never worn that my mother bought for me last Christmas.

"Bring these. They're really nice, but casual enough."

"Okay. I guess I'm ready then," I told her and we left, saying goodbye to Charlie first. I drove to her house with her giving me directions. It really wasn't hard to get there, but the driveway was kind of obscure. You didn't really see it until you were right on it. I parked the truck next to Edward's Volvo and Alice took me inside. The house was gorgeous. The entire back wall was made of glass and the view was amazing. The house was pristine and it smelled wonderful—like warm chocolate chip cookies.

"Mom always makes cookies and snacks when we have friends over," Alice said. "Come on—the others are in the living room." She grabbed my hand and dragged me into the room, telling me to drop my bag by the sofa.

"Hi, Bella!" everyone greeted me…well, everyone except Emmett. He wasn't in the room.

"Where's Emmy?" Alice asked.

"He's taking a shower. He got flour all over himself," Edward laughed. Alice giggled. "He'll be down in a few minutes."

EPOV

I was in the shower when Alice and Bella got here. I had been helping Mom bake cookies when I'd knocked the tub of flour out of the cabinet and straight onto my head. I was covered in the crap. I had to shampoo my hair twice to get all of it out—apparently when flour gets wet it turns into a paste. Finally I was clean, so I dried off and went into my room to put on the pajamas Alice had told me to wear tonight. They were comfortable pajama pants and a t-shirt. I put on my sunglasses and made my way downstairs. Normally I don't wear sunglasses in my house or around my family and Jasper and Rosalie, but I don't want to freak Bella out with my sightless eyes the first time I meet her.

I entered the living room, and for the second time that week, my foot caught on something and I tripped. Luckily I managed to catch myself on the sofa and I didn't fall on my face.

"Are you okay, Emmy?" Alice asked me.

"Yeah…what did I trip on this time?"

"You tripped on Bella's duffel bag."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have left it there," the sweetest voice I had ever heard spoke up.

"It's okay. I trip over shit a lot," I said with a laugh.

"Emmett, language!" Mom called from the kitchen.

"Sorry, Mom!" I yelled back.

"I'm Bella," the angel said.

"I'm Emmett," I replied, sticking my hand out in the general direction of her voice. Her soft hand took hold of mine and my heart damn near jumped out of my chest. She is so soft and she smells amazing.

"It's nice to meet you, Emmett," she said softly. I could only nod. Her hand left mine and she went to sit next to Alice. I sat down by Edward, my ears straining for every word that left her mouth. When I realized what I was doing, I mentally slapped myself. I had just met the girl, for God's sake, and I was already head over heels for her!

A/N: I had a bit of trouble deciding how they would meet, but I figure this is as good as any, lol. Next chapter will be a bit of truth or dare, some scary movies, and popcorn! Review please!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks again for all of the reviews! I had no idea so many people would like this story.

EPOV

"What do we want to do first?" Alice asked. "We can watch movies, play truth or dare, or any other game."

"Truth or dare sounds good," Bella spoke up. I chuckled—obviously Alice hadn't warned Bella about the Cullen/Hale version of this game.

"Truth or dare it is then," Edward confirmed. "Bella doesn't know the rules yet, so we should go over them. First, once you pick either truth or dare, you can't change to the other one. Second, you can't dare anyone to do something that is morally objectable or will harm anyone or anything. Third, all dares have to be limited to the house. There really aren't any truth rules. You can ask just about anything. If you pick truth one time, you have to pick dare the next time, and vice versa. We play chicken truth or dare. You have two chickens—one for truth, one for dare—but you only get to use them once. If you decide to take more than one chicken in each, you're out of the game. Of course the truths and dares get a lot more wild if you have a chicken, so use them wisely. Alice will keep a record of everyone's chickens. Any questions?"

"No, I understand," Bella said.

"Okay, well you're first then, Bella. Truth or dare?" Alice asked her.

"Umm…truth," she said. Alice thought for a second.

"What's the farthest you've ever gone with a boy?"

"Not very far. My ex-boyfriend got to second base once, but I didn't want to go any farther, and I wouldn't give in, so he broke up with me about a week later."

"Now it's your turn to ask someone a question," Alice told her.

"Okay…Rosalie, truth or dare?"

"Truth," she answered.

"What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done to get a guy's attention?"

"When I was in second grade, I decided that I really liked this boy in my class, David. Nothing I did would get him to pay attention to me, so I decided that men paid more attention to women with big breasts. I figured if I stuffed my shirt, I would look more mature, so I did and I got to the classroom before any of the other kids did. Thank God my teacher realized what I was trying to do and told me that I didn't need to do that to impress any boy and that if they truly liked me, they would like me no matter what I looked like on the outside, so I unstuffed my shirt and just ignored David for the rest of the school year," she said. "Emmett, truth or dare?"

"Dare," I said.

"I dare you to sing 'Barbie Girl,'" she said. I groaned.

"I hate Aqua," I whined, but I rarely take a chicken, so I cleared my throat, making a joke out of it.

"Everyone, may I have your attention, please?" I waited for them to stop laughing.

"I'm a Barbie girl in the Barbie world  
Life in plastic, it's fantastic  
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere  
Imagination, life is your creation

Come on, Barbie, let's go party

I'm a Barbie girl in the Barbie world  
Life in plastic, it's fantastic  
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere  
Imagination, life is your creation

I'm a blonde single girl in the fantasy world  
Dress me up, take your time, I'm your dollie  
You're my doll, rock and roll, feel the glamour and pain  
Kiss me here, touch me there, hanky-panky

You can touch, you can play  
You can say I'm always yours, oooh whoa

I'm a Barbie girl in the Barbie world  
Life in plastic, it's fantastic  
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere  
Imagination, life is your creation

Come on, Barbie, let's go party, ha ha ha, yeah  
Come on, Barbie, let's go party, oooh, oooh  
Come on, Barbie, let's go party, ha ha ha, yeah  
Come on, Barbie, let's go party, oooh, oooh

Make me walk, make me talk, do whatever you please  
I can act like a star, I can beg on my knees  
Come jump in, be my friend, let us do it again  
Hit the town, fool around, let's go party

You can touch, you can play  
You can say I'm always yours  
You can touch, you can play  
You can say I'm always yours

Come on, Barbie, let's go party, ha ha ha, yeah  
Come on, Barbie, let's go party, oooh, oooh  
Come on, Barbie, let's go party, ha ha ha, yeah  
Come on, Barbie, let's go party, oooh, oooh

I'm a Barbie girl in the Barbie world  
Life in plastic, it's fantastic  
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere  
Imagination, life is your creation

I'm a Barbie girl in the Barbie world  
Life in plastic, it's fantastic  
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere  
Imagination, life is your creation

Come on, Barbie, let's go party, ha ha ha, yeah  
Come on, Barbie, let's go party, oooh, oooh  
Come on, Barbie, let's go party, ha ha ha, yeah  
Come on, Barbie, let's go party, oooh, oooh."

They others were laughing so hard by the time I was finished that I'm surprised they could even hear the song. "Thank you, thank you very much," I said in my best Elvis impression.

"Em…mett," Alice gasped. "That…was…just…too…much."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," I said drily. "Now, Jasper, truth or dare?"

"Umm…truth?"

"Pussy," I muttered. "Okay…how long were you sneaking around with Ali before you finally told me?" He groaned, knowing he'd been caught.

"Two weeks," he finally said. "I didn't want to piss you off, so we wanted to make sure there was a chance we would work before we told you."

"I was right," I said. "I knew that already." Jasper laughed.

"I should have known we couldn't keep it from you," he said. "Edward, truth or dare?"

"Dare," he replied.

"I dare you to go to Carlisle and tell him you're worried about yours and Rose's sex life and ask him if he can give you any ideas on how to make it less boring," Jasper dared.

"Our sex life is not boring, Jazz," Rose snapped.

"That doesn't matter," Jasper chuckled.

"Fuck," Edward muttered. I heard him get up and head toward the stairs. We all followed him and went to the top of the stairs to listen. He knocked on Dad's office door and entered, leaving it cracked so we could make sure he followed through on his dare.

"Dad, can I talk to you about something?" he asked.

"Sure, son, have a seat," he invited. "What's up?"

"Well, I'm worried about my relationship with Rosalie. I feel like we're stuck in a rut."

"What kind of rut, son?"

"Well, sometimes I feel that I'm not satisfying her…sexually." I had to cover my mouth with my hand to stop myself from laughing.

"Umm…Edward, shouldn't you be having this discussion with her?"

"No!" Edward sounded horrified. "I don't want her to know about this!"

"Okay, calm down. Why do you feel this way?"

"Well, we do the same thing all the time. She's never said anything about wanting anything different, so I don't know for sure whether she's enjoying herself or just doesn't want to hurt my feelings."

"Son, I've known you were sexually active for awhile now, and I can't say I am happy about it, but since I can't stop it, I won't even try. If you want to know how she feels about trying new things, just suggest something new to her and see whether or not she likes the idea. Just remember, no sex in this house."

"Thanks, Dad," Edward said. "I should probably get back to the others now." He damn near fled from the room, by the sounds of his feet. I could hear Dad chuckling to himself.

"Truth or dare," I heard him mutter. "Poor boy always chooses dare." I laughed out loud at this. Dad was more astute than we thought. I was the last down the stairs, so the others didn't hear Dad's comment. I decided to keep it to myself for the time being.

When we were all settled downstairs, it was Alice's turn. "Truth or dare, Alice," Edward said, still sounding a little miffed.

"Truth," she said.

"Have you ever lied to Jasper to get out of having sex?" By the smug tone of his voice, he thought he had her there.

"Nope," she said proudly. "If I don't want sex, I just tell him."

"It's true," Jasper said. "She's a terrible liar, so she doesn't even try."

We played for about another hour, the truths and dares becoming more crazy and embarrassing as time went on. Finally we decided to end the game. Bella was awesome. She never took a chicken, instead finding clever ways to actually answer a question without revealing anything she didn't want to reveal.

"Let's watch scary movies," Alice suggested.

"What do you want to watch?" Jasper asked her.

"How about…The Omen?"

"Okay!" they all said. I couldn't really watch the movie anyway, so I didn't really give a damn which ones they watched. I could listen to them though.

"Anyone want popcorn?" I asked.

"Yeah, Emmy. Could you make two bags? Alice asked.

"Sure, Pixie." I got up and maneuvered my way through the room to the kitchen. I tossed a bag of the popcorn into the microwave and pulled out a large bowl to put it in. I heard someone come into the kitchen.

"Hey, Emmett, do you have any bottled water?" Bella asked.

"Sure, there's some in the fridge. We have soda too, if you want it," I answered.

"Thanks, but I'm not a big fan of soda."

"So, have you ever seen The Omen?" I asked her.

"No. I'm not really a fan of scary movies. I get scared really easily," she said.

"We don't have to watch that, if you don't want to," I told her. "We can watch something else."

"No, it's okay. I'll just close my eyes and cover my ears if I get scared," she laughed. I laughed with her, shaking my head.

The microwave dinged, signaling the popcorn being done. I pulled it out and tossed the other bag in, starting over again. I angled the bag away from myself, carefully pulling it open so I didn't burn myself on the steam. I grabbed the bowl, feeling the edge so I could tell where to put the popcorn, and dumped the bag in. Bella didn't offer to help, and I could feel myself falling for her even more. She hadn't treated me any differently from the others—as far as I could tell—all night. When the second bag was done, I dumped it into the bowl as well, and Bella grabbed drinks for everyone, and we headed back to the living room.

"Here we go," I said, holding the popcorn out so someone could set it down where it wouldn't get spilled, then sat down on the floor with everyone else. Bella sat down next to me. I figured everyone else was already cuddled up to their significant other. The main reason Alice and Rosalie like to watch horror flicks is so they can grab onto Jasper and Edward during the scary parts. Someone started the movie, but all I could concentrate on was that Bella was sitting right next to me.

Someone in the movie screamed and so did Bella. She grabbed onto my arm, gripping it really tight. She kept grabbing onto me during the movie, and I must say, I rather enjoyed her turning to me for "protection." By the time the movie was ending, she had her face buried in my shoulder and she was halfway into my lap.

"Aw, poor Bella," Alice said, "but aren't they cute?" That apparently made Bella realize exactly what she was doing, and she got off my lap. I shoved away the feeling of disappointment and grinned at her.

"I guess you really do get scared," I said.

"Sorry, Emmett," she told me.

"No big deal," I replied.

"Should we watch another movie?" Alice asked.

"Let's watch Rent!" Rose suggested. Jasper and Edward groaned, and I groaned along with them, but secretly I like the movie. It's easier to get into a movie that is mostly songs. It may sound unmanly, but I like a lot of musicals.

"I love Rent," Bella said.

"Emmett knows all the words," Alice spoke up. Damned pixie.

"Me too," Bella confessed. "When I first got it, I watched it six times." She really is perfect. Absolutely, undeniably, unequivocally perfect.

We watched—well, they watched, I listened—Rent, and by the time that was over, it was really late and everyone was tired. Edward and Alice went to get blankets and pillows for everyone from upstairs and they spread them on the floor of the living room. I imagine Alice and Rose are sleeping in Jasper and Edward's arms. Bella was in the area near me, but she was far enough away that she wouldn't be uncomfortable. I eventually heard the deep breathing of sleep from everyone, but I lay awake, thinking about the amazing girl next to me. She was perfect in every way, but I didn't dare think about her being mine. That would just be setting me up for disappointment.

Finally, I managed to fall asleep in the early hours before dawn. I was woken up by the sound of giggling and whispering. The next thing I noticed was a warm body curled into mine and the scent of strawberry shampoo. Bella. I was a little confused as to how she got there. Did I go to her, or did she come to me?

"Aww, Emmy, you're so cute together," Alice whispered.

"Shut up, Alice," I muttered.

"Looks like Bella likes to cuddle," Jasper snickered. "She moved quite a bit from her original spot." So she had come to me. That made me feel good.

"Shut up, Jasper," I grumbled. I didn't want to wake her and embarrass her, but I didn't know how to move her without doing so. Translation: I didn't want to move her.

"Hey Bella!" Alice yelled, making Bella jump in my arms. She sat up and I sat up after she did.

"Um…sorry Emmett," she said softly.

"Awwwwwwwwwww, she's blushing," Rose said.

"Shut up," she muttered, sounding like a pissy child. I grinned.

"It's okay," I told her. "You're warm."

"She's blushing even more!" Alice yelled. I rubbed my ears.

"Damn, Ali, do you have to yell?" I demanded. "And leave Bella alone."

"Awww, little Emmy's protecting Bella," Jasper cooed. I lunged in his direction, managing to grab his legs and trip him.

"HAH! I'm blind and you still can't get away," I crowed.

"Ass," he muttered and I grinned at him.

"I'll make some breakfast," Alice said. "Rose, Bella, why don't you help me while the boys go take showers and change?" An order from Alice. Go figure. I headed upstairs to do as I was told.

BPOV

Nobody had warned me before coming to the slumber party that Emmett was blind. When he tripped over my bag, I had thought he just didn't see it, and even when he shook my hand, he acted like he could see me. I guess if I had met him anywhere outside of his house, I might have known, but the way he maneuvered through his home gave the appearance that he could see. He looks right at people when they're talking and, in general, it just appeared that he had slower reactions to everything than most people. When we were playing truth or dare, it became obvious that he couldn't see anything.

I wasn't really sure how I would be expected to react to his blindness, but it didn't bother me at all. One of my cousins is blind and she's completely independent. It seems as though Emmett is too, because the others don't attempt to help him when he's doing something. When Alice suggested we watch movies, it didn't seem to bother him at all that he could only listen to them.

On top of being perfect personality wise, the man is sinfully gorgeous. Alice had told me he is still single, and quite frankly, I don't get it. Why hasn't some lucky girl snatched him up yet? He's tall, built like a damned god, and has the most beautiful, clear blue eyes I had ever seen.

To top it all off, he is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. He let me grab on to him during The Omen when it scared the hell out of me, and then he didn't seem to mind when I practically crawled inside his skin while we were sleeping. He was just so warm and comfortable.

Alice ordered the boys to go shower and change while we made breakfast. She set me to making scrambled eggs while she cooked waffles and Rose made toast. We made a mountain of food.

"That's a lot of food," I said, staring at all of it.

"The boys eat a lot—especially Emmett," Alice said. "Now tell us why you were all cuddled up to my brother this morning."

"I don't know—I was asleep. I couldn't help it."

"Well, how did it feel when you woke up?" Rose asked. I blushed.

"Um…I was enjoying it. Emmett's really sweet and really warm. He smells really good too," I confessed.

"Do you like him? _Like_ him, like him?" Alice demanded. I couldn't say anything, just nodded. Alice squealed and threw her arms around me.

"Oh my God! You guys make such a cute couple!"

"Alice, calm down. I doubt he likes me the same way. He probably likes someone else. He could get any girl he wanted—he wouldn't choose me."

"Don't be stupid, of course he would. Besides, he's tried dating other girls, and they all treat him like an invalid. He's perfectly capable of taking care of himself, and you treat him like a normal man. Besides, Rose and I have seen the look on his face when you speak, or when you were cuddling with him during the movie and this morning. He likes you a lot. He wants you bad."

"Are you sure?" I said, really surprised.

"Yeah! You should ask him out," Rose said.

"I don't know. What if you're wrong?" I asked them.

"We're not wrong. We'll give you one week to ask him out on a date, or we're going to ask him for you," Alice ordered.

"All right." Alice jumped and clapped her hands, and Rose beamed at me. The boys came down about ten minutes later, looking clean and presentable. Emmett wore dark jeans and a white t-shirt that showed his muscles without looking obscenely tight.

"Smells good," he said. Carlisle and Esme walked in then.

"It does smell delicious, girls. You outdid yourselves," Esme said. We all sat down to eat, and when we were finished, Alice took me upstairs to her room so I could shower and change into my clothes. Rose used Edward's bathroom. I was really curious to see Emmett's bedroom, but I wouldn't go unless he asked me to.

We played video games and watched some more movies before I had to go home. I needed to be home in time to fix Charlie dinner. I said goodbye to everyone and got in my truck to leave.

A/N: Okay, this chapter is a little over twice as long as the previous two, so that's why it took me a little longer to update. I'm going to try and update as often as I can, but this is finals week at college, so I don't know if I can get another chapter up soon. After that is Christmas break! I don't have the internet at home, so my updating will be sporadic, and I will probably not update at all the first part of January, because I won't be home and won't have my computer. So, Review Please! The more reviews I get, the more eager I am to write the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you to all of my reviewers! I'm finally done with finals, and I'm sorry this took so long, but I have to wait until I have internet to be able to post. I got a lot of great reviews for the last chapter, so I hope you like this one. I'm working on the next one already. Keep those reviews coming!

EPOV

She had only been gone for a few minutes and I missed her presence already. She fit right in with my family and closest friends, and it feels like she belongs here. I stood at the door until I could no longer hear the sounds of that noisy truck, and then I went up to my room. I flipped my stereo on and turned it up high. The CD playing now was of one of my favorite bands, Avenged Sevenfold. One of my favorite songs started to play.

Your hazel green tint eyes watching every move I make.  
And that feeling of doubt, it's erased.  
I'll never feel alone again with you by my side.  
You're the one, and in you I confide.  
And we have gone through good and bad times.  
But your unconditional love was always on my mind.  
You've been there from the start for me.  
And your loves always been true as can be.  
I give my heart to you.  
I give my heart, cause nothing can compare in this world to you.

-Avenged Sevenfold, Warmness on the Soul

It reminded me of Bella. I don't know what color eyes she has, but that doesn't matter. I think I'm falling in love with her. I flopped on my bed and threw my arm over my face. I had never felt this strongly about a girl before. I shouldn't feel like this toward her. She probably wouldn't think twice about dating me, even if I did get up the nerve to ask her. The other girls I had gone on dates with were willing enough, but it was me that couldn't handle their inability to treat me as a normal person.

I guess that's one of the reasons I won't ever get up the nerve to ask Bella out. She's the first girl to treat me normally and I don't want that to change.

I groaned and flipped over so I was lying on my stomach, my face buried in my pillow. I would never be able to get her out of my head. I was so immersed in my thoughts of Bella that I didn't realize someone had come into the room until my sister leaped onto the bed. I knew it was her because she is the ONLY one that ever jumps on my bed. Edward is far too serious to ever do such a thing, and my parents would never do that.

"What, Ali?" I demanded, my head still buried in my pillow.

"Why don't you ask her out?" she asked, sounding serious instead of her usual chipper self.

"Ali, don't even start. I barely know her," I said. "Besides, I don't even know if she likes me."

"I'll find out," she said. "I'll talk to her."

"No, Ali. Just leave well enough alone. I would rather be friends with her than nothing," I told her sternly.

"Emmett, I think you should at least try. Bella's a really sweet girl, and she's perfect for you," she told me.

"Alice, please, I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay," she sighed, "but if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you."

"Thanks, Ali." She left the room, the door shutting softly behind her. I sighed, my thoughts turning to Bella again.

BPOV

Emmett is such a sweetheart. He doesn't allow his blindness to handicap him, and he doesn't feel sorry for himself, which is a very admirable trait in my book. I had known a boy in Phoenix who was blind as well, but he's a very bitter person, and not much fun to be around.

Forks is already looking better than life in Phoenix had been. I have become good friends with Alice and Edward already, and through them, Rosalie and Jasper. I hoped I could at least be friends with Emmett. He seems like the type of man I would love to date, but I was his little sister's friend, so he would probably never consider it. He deserves better anyway. I'm not worth his time. (A/N: I have a reason for Bella being such a downer on herself, but it won't be revealed until later).

I pulled into my driveway and parked my truck. Charlie was already home, and it was close to dinner time. I opened the door and called out to him.

"Dad, I'm home!"

"I'm in the living room, Bells," he called back. I went in and stopped in surprise. There was a man in a wheelchair and a large boy sitting in the living room with my father.

"Hi," I said.

"Hello, Bella. Do you remember me?" the man in the wheelchair asked.

"Umm…vaguely," I answered truthfully. "Billy Black?"

"Yeah," he said, "and this is my son, Jacob."

"Jacob?" I looked at him for a moment, and recognition hit me.

"You used to throw mud at me," I said to him. He laughed and stood up.

"It's good to see you again, Bella," he said.

"Yeah, you too. Ch-Dad, what would you like for supper?" I asked.

"We were just going to order a pizza. It would be easier than you making dinner," he answered.

"Okay, that sounds fine." I wasn't really sure what to say. "Um…I guess I should go work on some of my homework for Monday."

"Okay, Bells. Jake, why don't you go with her? I'm sure she'll be more interesting company than us," Charlie said.

"Okay," Jacob answered, standing up to follow me. I led him upstairs to my room, pulling my school books out and tossing them on the bed. Jake took a seat in my desk chair.

"So what grade are you in, Jacob?" I asked him.

"I'm a sophomore. You're a junior, right?"

"Yeah. So, you go to the school in La Push?"

"Yep." We fell silent, and it was an awkward silence.

"Um…" Jake said. "I don't really know what to say." He laughed.

"I don't either," I grinned. We started talking about random things, and before we knew it, Charlie was calling up the stairs that the pizza was here.

***

I woke up Monday morning, having spent all of Sunday doing nothing, ready to go to school and hopefully catch a glimpse of the gorgeous Emmett. Maybe I would see him at lunch. The thought had me getting ready for school a lot faster than normal, leaving me sitting at the kitchen table for ten minutes before I could leave and not be ridiculously early.

I pulled into the school parking lot and parked my truck. One of the advantages to getting there early was getting a good parking space. I listened to the radio for a few minutes until I saw a red Mercedes M3 convertible pull into the lot and park next to me, a Volvo following closely behind, parking on my other side. Jasper and Rosalie got out of the M3, Edward, Alice, and Emmett getting out of the Volvo. I got out of my truck.

"Hi, Bella!" Alice chirped, dancing forward and hugging me.

"Hi, Alice," I said, laughing.

"So you're going to sit with us at lunch today, right?" Alice inquired.

"Of course," I said. As a group we walked to the building that held our first class. Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie split off to go to an adjacent building.

"So, Bella, you like my brother. We've already established that. Now, when are you going to ask him? Remember, you have a week." Alice said, as a statement, rather than a question.

"I remember, but I doubt he likes me at all," I said.

"How would you know? I think he likes you a lot."

"Alice, would you just leave it be, please?" I begged her.

"Fine," she huffed. "For now, we'll leave it be. But we will discuss this later." I groaned and rolled my eyes.

For the duration of the entire class, all I could think about was Emmett. I know she's right, and he could possibly be interested in me, but I could never be good enough for him. He deserves a whole woman, and that is something I have strong doubts that I ever will be. No one except Renee knows my true reasons for deciding to move to Forks, not even Charlie.

"Bella, come on," Alice said, breaking into my thoughts. I looked at her, startled. The class was emptying…I hadn't even heard the bell ring.

"Oh…sorry, I was daydreaming," I told her, gathering my stuff and pulling on my jacket. We walked to the next class, Alice eyeing me suspiciously the entire time.

EPOV

The morning passed by agonizingly slowly and I couldn't wait for lunch so I could hear her voice again. Finally, it was here. I hurried to the cafeteria and moved to my table, sitting down with Jasper to wait for the others. Alice and Bella have quite a few classes together, and Edward has one with her too.

"Hey, Emmett, Jasper," Bella said, sitting down in the seat next to me.

"Hey, Bella," I answered her, turning to smile at her.

"Emmy, what do you want to eat today?" Alice asked me.

"I don't care, go ahead and pick," I told her. Knowing her, it would be healthy crap—well, at least as healthy as Forks High School was able to get.

"So, Emmett, isn't Emmy a girl's name?" Bella asked. I laughed.

"Yeah, but Ali's been calling me that ever since she started talking, and by the time I realized it was a girl's name, there was no stopping her. Thankfully she doesn't do it all the time," I explained.

"Yeah, Alice gives us all nicknames, except Edward," Jasper spoke up. "Emmett is Emmy, Rosalie is Rose, and I'm Jazz or Jazzy."

"So why don't you have a nickname, Edward?" my angel asked my brother.

"Because the only nicknames for Edward are Ed or Eddie, and I refuse to be called by those ridiculous names," he told her.

"His snootiness is actually caused by a rare disease called Stick-in-Ass Syndrome. It is thankfully not contagious," I told her, my reward coming with her laugh.

"Shut up, Emmett," Edward drawled, his voice becoming lofty and superior.

"Oh, stuff it, Eddie," I grinned.

"Emmy, stop teasing Edward," Alice admonished me, placing food in front of me.

"Thanks, Ali." She kissed the top of my head and sat down, presumably next to Jasper. I picked up the first thing on the plate, a sandwich.

"Bella, aren't you going to eat?" Alice asked her.

"No, I'm not really hungry," she said. I frowned—it wasn't healthy for her to skip meals.

"Bella, you should eat regularly. At least eat something," Alice told her.

"Okay, okay, I'll get an apple," she said, laughing at my sister's persistence. I picked up the apple off my tray and held it out to her.

"Emmett, I can go get one," she protested.

"Yeah, I know, but you might as well eat this one. I'm not going to," I said reasonably. She took the apple from me with a thank you and proceeded to eat.

The rest of the school day passed slowly without her. I wanted so badly to talk to her again, but I doubt she feels the same. She's just so beautiful and perfect (A/N: he means beautiful as in a beautiful person, not physically, obviously) and she deserves someone as perfect as herself.

When the school day ended, I hurried out to Edward's car and leaned against it, waiting for everyone to come out. Edward and Alice soon joined me, Bella coming with them. "We're all going to Bella's house to do homework," Alice told me. "Do you want to come, or do you want Edward to drop you off at home?"

"I'll come," I said, shrugging, acting like it didn't matter either way, while on the inside I was doing a happy dance. I would get to spend more time with the angel.

"Good," Bella said, sounding happy.

"Well," Alice said, "Edward and I are going to run to the store for snacks. Jasper and Rosalie have to go home for a few minutes to help their mom with something, so why don't you to just go ahead and we'll meet you there." I knew what she was trying to do—give me alone time with Bella. I wish she wouldn't interfere, but how can I be upset about time alone with the perfect woman?

"Okay," Bella said. "See you at my house."

BPOV

Alice was interfering, even though I'd asked her not to…well, I suppose I didn't come right out and tell her not to interfere, but she knew it was implied. I guess I can't really complain, if the end result is that I get to spend even a few minutes alone with Emmett…yet at the same time, I hadn't been alone with a boy—man—in awhile. I shook the thoughts from my head and climbed in my truck, Emmett getting in on the passenger side. I watched everyone drive away before starting the truck and heading toward my house.

I had no idea what to talk to Emmett about, now that we were alone. He solved that problem by turning to me.

"So, Bella, I don't really know a whole lot about you, besides what Alice has told me. Will you tell me more about yourself?" he asked, giving me the cutest puppy dog face.

"Umm…okay, what would you like to know?"

"What's your favorite animal?" That was random.

"Um…a bear?" I blurted out. I had never cared either way about bears, but he just reminded me so much of a bear that it was the first thing that came to mind.

"What's your favorite food?"

"I don't really know. I like lots of food," she said. "I guess I like Italian food a lot."

"Okay, what's your favorite movie?"

"I'm a sucker for vampire movies," she said. "They're my guilty pleasure."

"I thought you didn't like scary movies?"

"I don't, but I like vampire movies that aren't scary…like The Little Vampire."

"Strange girl," he said, shaking his head. I giggled at the dramatic look on his face.

"Alice said you used to live in Phoenix before coming to Forks. Why did you decide to move here?" An innocent enough question, but one I didn't really want to answer. I decided on a half-truth.

"My mother remarried a couple of years ago, to Phil Dwyer. He's a small-time ball player so he travels a lot. My mother stayed home with me, but I knew she wanted to be with him, so I decided to spend some quality time with Charlie."

"Oh. Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you decided to come here," he said softly. I reached over and squeezed his hand. In another minute, we reached my house and I parked the truck next to Charlie's cruiser.

"Charlie's home," I said to Emmett. "I didn't think he would be home until later." He looked a little nervous. I got out of the truck and he followed. He grabbed his cane and came around the front of the truck to where I stood.

"There are three steps up to the front door," I said. He nodded and followed close behind me as we went inside.

"Dad, I'm home!" I called out.

"I'm in the kitchen!" I grabbed Emmett's hand and led him to the kitchen after he set his bag and cane by the front door.

"Dad, this is Emmett Cullen. Emmett, this is my father, Charlie."

"Nice to meet you, Emmett," Charlie said, holding his hand out to Emmett.

"Nice to meet you, Chief Swan," Emmett replied, not releasing my hand.

"He's holding out his hand for you to shake," I murmured to him.

"Oh." He stuck out his hand, and Charlie took it, shaking it.

"So, you're Doctor Cullen's son?" Charlie asked him.

"Yes, sir."

"Call me Charlie. So what are you two kids up to today?"

"Well, we're waiting on Emmett's sister and brother, and Jasper and Rosalie Hale. We're just going to be studying," Bella assured him. "Alice and Edward went to get snacks, and Jasper and Rose had to go home for a few minutes."

"All right, that sounds fine. Are you going to be in the living room?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, is that all right?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

"Emmett, let's go on in and get set up," I said. Charlie was still eyeing him suspiciously.

"Okay." Still holding my hand, he let me lead him into the living room.

EPOV

When Bella had taken my hand outside, my heart had tried to beat its way through my ribs. It was so soft and warm and _tiny_. Then she had introduced me to her father, and she still kept hold of it. It was hard to concentrate on talking to Charlie with her hand in mine. Finally we went into the living room. I don't really have school books because none of them come in Braille, so my teachers just let me tape record the lectures and type my notes on my laptop—which has a Braille keyboard—and all my homework is typed as well.

"Have a seat," Bella said to me. I felt for the sofa and sat down. She sat next to me and pulled her books out of her bag, setting them on a table, from what it sounded like. I had no idea what to talk to her about. I had never had a conversation before today alone with her. It was kind of nerve-wracking.

"It will be a few minutes before the others get here, so do you mind if I ask you a few questions first?" Bella asked.

"Sure. Ask away," I told her.

"What's your favorite hobby?" she asked.

"Um…well, I really like to listen to music I guess. Edward's the one with the musical talent in the family, but I have the largest collection. (A/N: I know Edward does in the books, but Emmett does in this story.) I also like to read. Dad has a shipment of new Braille books brought in every month for me," I told her.

"What do you like to read?"

"I'll read anything. I like adventures and mysteries for the most part, and the classics are always nice."

"Have you read Wuthering Heights?" she asked me.

"Yeah, but I didn't really care for it. The characters kind of pissed me off," I said.

"I think they're selfish, but their redeeming quality is their love," she said.

"Yeah, I guess that's the only thing they got going for them," I replied.

"Have you ever been to an amusement park?"

"No, there really hasn't been a reason for me to go. I can't see anything," I reminded her.

"You don't need to see in order to have fun at one. You can still ride the rides. I shut my eyes on all the roller coasters anyway," she told me. I laughed at her. She really is perfect. She confronts my blindness without being awkward about it.

"What's your favorite physical activity?"

"I lift weights."

"How much weight can you lift?"

"I'm not sure. I don't really keep track."

"Oh. Well, how did you meet Jasper and Rosalie?"

"Jasper has been my best friend since the first grade. He stood up for me when everyone else was making fun of me. We've been friends ever since. I met Rose through Jasper. Jasper and Rose stayed over night at my house one night and they met Alice and Edward, and we've all been friends since."

"I have to admit something," she said. "I'm a little envious of you. I've never had a best friend or even a close friend."

"Why not?" I asked her.

"I didn't because I never really fit in anywhere. I was kind of a loner."

"Well, you have friends now," I told her, reaching over to squeeze her arm. She laid her little hand on top of mine and patted it.

"Thank you," she said softly. The doorbell rang and Bella got up to answer the door.

"Hey, Alice," I heard her say. "Edward, Jasper, Rose, come on in all of you."

BPOV

When Emmett had said that about me having friends now, I was the happiest I've been in a long time. He is such a sweet man. I led Alice, Edward, Jasper, and Rose into the living room and they all took a seat around the room. The only available space to sit was the one I had previously occupied next to Emmett, so I sat down.

"So, what are we going to be studying?" I asked.

"Well, Jazzy, Rose, and Emmy are all seniors, so they're going to study together, and you, me, and Edward are going to go over our classes," Alice said.

"Okay," I said. "Does anyone want any snacks?"

"Sure!" the boys said. Alice and Rose rolled their eyes.

"Just like men to think about their stomachs," Rose said.

"I'll get some cookies," I said, laughing.

We studied for a couple of hours, talking about anything and everything, before they had to head home for dinner. I fixed Charlie some soup and went up to bed early. I had some serious thinking to do.

A/N: This chapter was hard for me to write for some reason. I'm not altogether happy with it, but I have some good ideas for the next one. It's almost finished, but I'm trying to add some length since I can't update as often. Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Here's the new chapter!

BPOV

"_You bitch!" he roared, slapping me across the face. He didn't stop with just that. As I fell to the floor, he came after me, kicking me in the side. "You talked to him didn't you? Admit it, whore!" _

"_No," I choked out. "I swear I didn't, Jason. Please, you have to believe me!" _

"_Lying fucking bitch!" He kicked me again and I heard one of my ribs crack. I tried to hold back the scream, but it wrenched its way out of me. I curled into a ball and gasped for breath. He grabbed me by my hair and dragged me to my feet. We were at his house and his parents weren't home yet. He was accusing me of talking to another boy at school. He usually hit where it wouldn't show later. This had been going on for a couple months now. _

"_Stop it," I whimpered. "Please…Jason…stop!" He threw me against the wall and grabbed my shirt, tearing it open. "NO! Please, no!" _

"_Shut up whore! You give it to every other guy and you're going to give it to me!" He grabbed my breasts, squeezing them roughly. When I tried to shove his hands away, he grabbed my throat and threw me to the floor, straddling my waist and pinning my hands above me. I screamed and tried to throw him off, but he slapped me across the face. _

"_Fucking bitch," he muttered, "you deserve this." He squeezed my breasts again, bruising the tender flesh. He gripped my skirt and hiked it up around my waist, tearing off my underwear. Shoving my legs apart, he grabbed my most private area. I screamed again and he growled at me. He unbuttoned his pants and pulled out his penis, getting ready to take my virginity. His penis was at my entrance when a feminine scream came from the door. Jason froze and his eyes widened._

"_What in the fuck is going on in here?" a masculine voice—one I recognized as Jason's father—came right behind the scream—which must have been his mother._

"_It-it's not what it looks like," Jason stuttered out, jumping off of me and zipping up his pants. I curled into a ball and whimpered. Blood covered the floor and the wall. Jason's mother knelt beside me and gently stroked my hair._

"_It'll be okay, Bella," she said. "We'll get you to a doctor. Call 911!" she said to her husband. He had his son restrained and he picked up the phone to call the police and ambulance. The room was getting darker and I fell into oblivion._

I woke with a scream, my clothes soaked with sweat. The door flew open and I screamed again. Charlie came to my side immediately.

"Bella, Bella, sweetheart, it's okay. It was a dream," he said, stroking my hair, trying to calm me. I gasped, dragging in much-needed air.

"I'm okay," I gasped out. "Just a dream, a bad dream."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked. I nodded. "Goodnight, Bells."

"Night, Dad." I hadn't dreamed of Jason in weeks. He was the real reason I had moved to Forks. He was in jail now, but I needed to get away from Phoenix and make a fresh start. I had lied during truth-or-dare, at least partly. Jason hadn't raped me, but he'd come very close to it. I got up and changed into clean pajamas before getting back into bed. It was about three hours before I had to get up to get ready for school. I wasn't sure why I had dreamed of Jason tonight, after so many weeks. The only explanation I could think of was that I was getting closer to Emmett.

I buried my face in my pillow. I couldn't let Jason rule my life forever. Emmett is a good man, and I trust him already. I don't believe he would ever do anything to hurt me, intentionally or otherwise. The week had gone by quickly, and today is Friday. I decided then that I would ask Emmett out today. If he rejected me, Alice would leave it alone hopefully. I have no doubt that it will hurt a lot if he rejects me, but the only way I'll ever know is to ask.

Four hours later, I parked my truck in the lot at school and leaned against the hood, waiting for everyone else to get there. I didn't have to wait long. They pulled in and parked next to me, as they usually did. Emmett got out and waited for me to come to him, as he usually did.

"Morning, everyone," I said, squeezing Emmett's arm to let him know where I was. He draped his large arm over my shoulder and gave me his half-hug.

"Morning, Bells," he said happily.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked softly. He looked a little confused.

"Sure, Bells." Alice and Rose grabbed Jasper's and Edward's arms and dragged them toward the school, talking about shopping to distract them from Emmett and me.

"Emmett, I was wondering…" I bit my lip, unsure of how to go on.

"What is it, Bella?" He looked concerned now.

"I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime…on a date?" I could feel my heart slamming against my ribs in hope, fear, and nerves.

EPOV

"I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime…on a date?" These words made my heart stop before starting again violently. This was a time when I desperately wished I had my sight, so I could see whether she was sincere, or whether it was just a pity date.

"That depends…" I drawled.

BPOV

"On what?" I asked, my heart dropping to my stomach.

"On whether you're asking because you like me or because Alice put you up to it," he said. That's what he thought?

"I'm asking you because I like you," I told him, starting to get a little angry.

"Are you sure about that Bella?" He sounded pretty angry himself. He took a step forward and I backed up, hitting the passenger side of the truck. He came forward until he was just a few inches from me.

"Y-yes, I'm sure, Emmett." He apparently didn't believe me.

EPOV

I thought she was perfect, and then she goes and does this. Why would she ask me out now? There was no reason for her to. It had to be a pity date. I bet this was my sister's idea.

"I don't think so, Bella. I'm certain Alice put you up to this. I'm not going to go on a date with you," I told her. I heard her inhale sharply, but I turned and walked away.

BPOV

When he said he wouldn't go on a date with me, I could feel my heart breaking. He walked away, heading for the school, and I slid down the side of my truck to sit on the wet pavement between the truck and the Volvo. Tears slid down my face to drip off my chin with the rain that had begun as I was talking to Emmett. I had ruined everything. He was content to be my friend and I had ruined _everything_. I knew better than to hope a man would want someone as imperfect and horrible as me. I sobbed and rocked, my arms wrapped around my legs.

EPOV

It hurt to walk away from Bella, but I wouldn't stand anyone's pity. I couldn't hear her coming after me, so I assumed she was shocked that I would deny her, even though she didn't really want a date with me. I went to my first class and sat through it, not paying any attention at all.

BPOV

After a few minutes, I dragged myself into my truck and started it before going home. I couldn't face school today, or Alice and Edward. I couldn't face any of them with Emmett's rejection still fresh in my mind. I had possibly just ruined a good friendship and it was ripping me apart. Charlie was at the station when I got home, so I dragged myself upstairs and into my bed after getting back into my pajamas and cried myself to sleep.

EPOV

I entered the lunch room and sat down at our usual table. Jasper and Rose were already there, and Edward and Alice would be here soon.

"Emmett," Alice said, appearing next to my shoulder. "Do you know where Bella is? She didn't go to any of her classes. We haven't seen her since this morning."

"Nope."

"What did she want to talk to you about?" Edward asked.

"She asked me on a date," I said shortly.

"That's great!" Alice exclaimed. "When are you going?

"We're not," I replied. "I told her no."

"Why? I thought you liked her!" Alice demanded.

"I did like her, but I won't accept a pity date, especially when you put her up to it!" I snarled.

"What are you talking about, Emmett? I didn't put her up to it! She really likes you!" she said.

"That's enough, Alice."

"No, you listen to me, Emmett Cullen! When Bella, Rose, and I were making breakfast last weekend, we asked her whether she liked you and she said yes. We said that if she liked you so much, she should ask you out. She said that you probably liked someone else and probably didn't like her. We told her we knew you liked her and she agreed to ask you out. Then we told her she had a week to do it or we were going to ask you for her. She does like you and you probably just broke her heart!" My heart stopped at this and I let out a groan.

"Fuck," I muttered. "Ali, what do I do? How do I make this better?"

"You need to go talk to her," she said.

"What if she won't talk to me?" I asked.

"Make her listen. She likes you, Emmett. She'll be good for you. You've been lonely for too long now."

"Can you take me there?" I asked her.

"Let's go," she said. I grabbed my bag and followed her out to the Volvo. Edward would catch a ride with Jasper and Rose later. Alice drove me to Bella's house and said she would wait in the car for me. I hurried up to the door and rang the bell. Her truck was in the driveway, but she didn't answer.

I kept ringing it and ringing it, but it took her a long time to come to the door.

"Emmett," she murmured. "What are you doing here?" Her voice was raw, like she'd been crying.

"Bella," I murmured. I raised my hand to her face and cupped her chin, before leaning down and pressing my lips to hers. Her hands rose up and pressed flat against my chest before she shoved me away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "Do you think you can just reject me and then KISS me? Are you crazy?" She sounded angry and hurt.

"Bella, I'm so sorry about this morning. Please, I never meant to hurt you. A lot of girls have given me pity dates before, and I didn't want that from you. I thought you were different, so it hurt a lot when I thought you were doing the same thing so many other girls have done before. Alice set me straight. Please, Bells, you have to believe me," I pleaded with her.

"I tried to tell you that it was because I liked you. You didn't believe me. Obviously you think I'm exactly like all of those other girls if you can't even trust me that much. Just leave me alone, Emmett," she snapped.

"Please, Bella," I begged hoarsely. "Give me another chance. I won't screw it up again." I heard her sigh.

"Okay, one more chance," she said grudgingly. My heart started beating again. The angel was giving me another chance.

"May I have the honor of taking you out tomorrow night?" I asked her.

"Okay. What time?"

"What time is good for you?"

"How about seven?" she suggested.

"Sounds great! I'll pick you up at seven!" I said eagerly.

"Um…Emmett, wouldn't it be quicker for me to pick you up?" she asked. I grinned at her.

"No, I'll pick you up. Don't worry about a thing. I'll take care of everything."

"Okay," she said, "I'll see you tomorrow night." I reached out and took her hand, lifting it to my lips and giving it a gentle kiss before turning and making my way back to the Volvo.

"How did it go?" Alice asked me eagerly.

"I have a date with her tomorrow night!" I said happily, a grin splitting my face, but then quickly fading away. "Ali, what did her face look like when she answered the door?"

"Her eyes were swollen from crying and she looked blotchy," Alice answered me truthfully.

"I really fucked up and hurt her. Ali, will you help me make my date with her tomorrow night perfect?"

"Of course. Tell me your ideas."

"I was thinking of hiring a limo to take us to Port Angeles for dinner at Bella Italia. After that, I have no idea."

"Hm…well, you could always take her to a movie. Something romantic," Ali told me.

"That's a good idea, I guess."

"No, I have a better idea. Take her on a romantic carriage ride through the park."

"That won't freak her out?" I asked.

"No, I don't think so."

"Well, how about I take her to dinner and then ask her what she wants to do?"

"Okay. Don't forget to take her flowers."

"What kind does she like?" I had forgotten to ask her that question. I have no idea what kind of flowers she likes.

"Try lilies. I think she likes those."

"Okay, but aren't roses the typical date flower?"

"Yes, but that might freak her out. If you want to take roses, take a single one."

"Yeah, I will. Will you pick one up for me? I want to get her a red rosebud, if possible."

"Yeah, I'll pick it up. We're home."

I got out of the car and went into the house to face the music. Mom and Dad had probably been notified that Alice and I had skipped the second half of the day.

BPOV

Emmett was so sweet when he came to my house to ask my forgiveness. I hadn't been able to stay mad at him, so I had accepted the date, which I'm sure is a pity date because I had gotten so upset, but I would go out with him once and then he wouldn't feel obligated to do so again. He had sounded so angry earlier when he thought Alice had put me up to asking him out.

Then he had kissed me. I had been kissed since Jason, and I was shocked at first. My first instinct had been to push him away. After I had done so, I realized that his kiss hadn't frightened me, just surprised me. Before meeting Emmett, I couldn't so much as be within twenty feet of a man I wasn't related to without getting stiff with terror. Now it seemed like he was healing that fear. I would just have to wait and see how tomorrow night turned out.

A/N: All right, this chapter was rather hard for me to write. Now we know Bella's secret. Let's see how long it takes Emmett to figure it out. Reviews please!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: All right, people, here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long to get it up; it's been a hectic couple of weeks. Could you guys do me a favor and review when you hit the story alert button? A lot of people have done the alert but don't bother to review and it bugs me. Thanks!

BPOV

Saturday night was finally here. I had about two hours before my date with Emmett, and Alice was on her way over to help me get ready. She said she didn't trust that I was capable of dressing myself for this occasion. I just figured it would be easier to spend two hours as Bella Barbie than argue with her and lose in the end anyway. I'm very curious what Emmett has planned for tonight, but I really hope he won't go to too much trouble. I'm just happy to be spending some time alone with him.

"Bella, I'm here!" Alice called out from downstairs. I had already showered and my hair was dried, so I went downstairs to greet her.

"Hey, Alice," I said. She grabbed my arm and started towing me back upstairs.

"Bella, we don't have much time to work with, so we need to get started right now," she said. "Hurry up!" I could hear Charlie laughing in the living room. She sat me down in the bathroom and yanked a brush through my hair while the straightener heated up. She straightened it carefully and left it loose. She applied foundation, powder, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, blush, and a clear lip gloss to my face and spritzed a light amount of freesia perfume to my neck and wrists. Then she marched me into my bedroom where she pulled out a piece of cloth that apparently was supposed to pass as a dress. It was light blue silk, strapless and about mid-thigh length. It was pretty, but there was no way Charlie would let me out of the house wearing something as skimpy and tiny as that. Alice would hear no arguments and she yanked my clothing off, allowing me, thankfully, to put my own underwear on while she turned around. She pulled the dress over my head and twitched it into place.

"There! You look gorgeous!" she said. I blushed and looked down. I had to admit, the dress looked great and wasn't as skimpy as I'd feared. "Now, for shoes." She pulled out a pair of stilettos and I nearly had a heart attack.

"Alice, those will kill me. Don't you have anything without a heel?" I asked.

"Bella, they go with the dress," she argued.

"Maybe, but if I fall on my ass and ruin this dress, won't that be worse? Plus I'll likely get skinned up and look horrible by the time it's all over with. Flats would be better."

"Fine," she sighed, pulling a pair of blue ballet flats out of her bag. "Put these on."

"Alice, were you expecting this?" I questioned her.

"Always be prepared, is the motto I live by. I expected you would try to talk me out of the stilettos and I knew that you would try to wear one of your own pairs of shoes if I didn't have an alternative." She shuddered delicately at the thought of matching any of my shoes with this dress.

"Thanks," I said drily. "Alice, why are you going to all this trouble anyway? It's not like Emmett can see what I look like. He's not going to care what I'm wearing."

"Bella," she said sternly, "just because he can't see you doesn't mean you shouldn't dress up. I know where he's taking you and you need to look decent. Besides, he'll be the envy of every other male in the place."

"Okay, okay," I gave in. "Alice, can you tell me more about Emmett's blindness? I don't know anything about it."

"Sure, I guess. He's been blind since he was a baby, I guess. Mom and Dad don't really talk about, so I don't know why he's blind, but I think Emmett knows. He doesn't talk about it much either, and Edward and I have never known him any differently, so it doesn't come up a lot."

"Oh. Alice, do you think he really likes me or do you think this is a pity date since I got so upset yesterday?"

"He really likes you, Bella. He's really excited about this date. He's liked you since he first heard you speak. He confessed that to me last night."

"I hope he's not disappointed at the end of the night then. I want him to keep liking me."

"Just be yourself and you can't go wrong. He's already seen the real you, so he won't be disappointed."

"Okay."

A few minutes later, Charlie yelled up the stairs, "Bella! Emmett's here!" I hurried down the stairs, Alice hot on my heels, and saw Emmett standing in the living room.

"Hey, Emmett," I greeted him, suddenly shy.

"Bella, you look stunning," he said. "I might not be able to see you, but I'm sure Alice did her best."

"Thank you," I blushed. He held out his hand to me and I took it.

"Now, where are you two going tonight?" Charlie asked.

"Port Angeles, sir," Emmett answered. "I'm taking her to dinner."

"What time will you be back?"

"Is eleven all right, sir?"

"Sounds fine. Call me Charlie."

"Thank you, Charlie. Bella, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Bye Dad, bye Alice. Thanks for getting me ready."

"Have fun," Alice said, following us out and getting into her Porsche. Emmett led me to a long black stretch limo, opening the door and helping me inside before sliding in next to me. He gave the driver quick instructions and sat back next to me as the car started to move. He opened the mini-fridge and pulled out what suspiciously looked like a wine bottle.

"Sparkling white grape juice?" he asked me, taking on an affected, elegant voice. I laughed.

"Why thank you, good sir." He grabbed some wine glasses and handed me the bottle. I poured us both a glass.

"Shall we toast?" he asked.

"Sure. What should we toast to?"

"How about we toast to a good evening," he said.

"To a good evening," I replied, clinking my glass against his. The entire way to Port Angeles was spent talking about random things from music to movies to aliens in outer space.

"So where are you taking me?" I asked as we entered Port Angeles. He smirked at me.

"I'm not telling you," he said. "It's a surprise." Soon, we pulled up in front of an elegant restaurant. The name of it was C'est Si Bon.

"French?" I asked him. He nodded, and then looked slightly anxious.

"Is French all right? If you don't like it, we can go somewhere else."

"No, French is great!" I reassured him. "I've always wanted to try it."

"Good," he smiled. "Wait here." I sat while he got out of the car and moved around it to open my door. He held out his hand for me to take. I slid my much smaller hand into his and stepped out of the car. People were turning to stare at us, but my only acknowledgement of their attention was the blush staining my cheeks.

We walked into the restaurant and were immediately greeted by the host. "Bonjour, j'mappelle Pierre [1]. Do you have reservations?" he asked.

"Oui, [2]" Emmett answered. "Cullen." Pierre looked in his large book and nodded.

"Follow me, please." His French accent was a little hard to understand, but I'd taken French in Phoenix, so I understood what he was saying. He led us to a small, private table and set menus in front of us.

"Your server will be with you shortly," Pierre said.

"Merci beaucoup, [3]" I told him. He nodded to me and left.

"You speak French?" Emmett asked me.

"Only a little bit. I took a course in Phoenix. I know enough to get by with very simple conversation. Do you speak much of it?"

"I'm fairly fluent. My father took us to France to vacation for a summer a few years ago. I learned quite a bit of it from that."

"Wow. Did you first taste French food there, or did you eat it before that?" I asked him.

"Mom really likes it, so she's been feeding it to us for awhile. What would you like to drink, Bella?" I scanned the menu quickly. "Strawberry Lemonade."

"Okay." Just then, our server came up to the table.

"My name is Jacques and I will be your server tonight." He was also French. "Would you care to start off with some drinks?"

"Two strawberry lemonades, please," Emmett requested.

"Would you like an appetizer?"

"We'll have the Soupe A L'Oignon Gratinee Au Champagne, [4]" he replied.

"I'll return shortly with your drinks and to take your order."

"Thank you."

We talked until he came back and then we talked until our food came. I had ordered the roast duck, and Emmett had gotten the lamb chops. The soup was good, but the duck was amazing. Emmett had me try the lamb chops too, and they were pretty good. We ate and talked and talked and ate some more. After we were finished, Emmett paid the bill and we went back out to the limo.

"I want to take you somewhere Alice told me about," he said to me.

"Okay. Where?" I replied.

"It's a surprise." He gave the driver an address—I couldn't hear what he said—and sat back next to me.

"Bella, I'm really glad you agreed to go out with me tonight. I didn't deserve a second chance with you, but I'm so glad you gave it to me."

"Emmett, I really like you—a lot. You are worth as many chances as you want to take."

"No, Bella, I'm not. You don't deserve that from any man. Anyone that hurts you or upsets you shouldn't get a second chance. I did that, and I'm so truly sorry. I'm glad you gave me a chance because I'm selfish. We haven't known one another for long, but I can't imagine life without you. I-I love you, Bella."

My heart caught in my chest and I couldn't say anything.

"Bella?" he asked after a moment, worry on his face.

"I love you too, Emmett," I have whispered. Then I burst into tears. He looked alarmed and pulled me into his arms, rocking me and soothing me.

"Bella, baby, tell me what's wrong. Did I say something?"

"N-n-n-no," I sobbed. "I'm h-h-happy!"

"I'm a little confused," he said, sounding like a lost little boy. My sobs turned into laughs at that, which made him look even more confused. I wiped the tears off of my face and leaned against him. I didn't know how to explain my reaction—I'm not even sure I understood it.

"Sorry," I said, "I haven't had the best history with relationships, and I guess I was just overwhelmed."

"Oh. Did someone hurt you in your past, Bells?" he asked me softly.

"Let's not talk about the past tonight, Emmett. I just want to have a good time with you." He hesitated a moment, then agreed. The limo came to a stop a few minutes later.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking out the window. The place wasn't familiar to me. Emmett groped for the door handle and opened the door, stepping out. He held his hand out to me and helped me out of the vehicle.

"You'll see. Do you see a large building somewhere around with the word Kendall's on it?" he asked.

"Yes."

"We're going in there." I led him to the building, and as soon as we stepped inside, I felt my jaw drop in awe. The building was small but it was packed from ceiling to floor with books. A short man came over to us, smiling.

"Hi, I'm Rob Kendall, the owner. You must be Emmett Cullen and Isabella Swan," he said.

"Yes," Emmett answered. "Thank you for keeping the shop open for us. I knew my girlfriend would love to see it."

"Not a problem. It's always so nice to see two young people in love. Now, I've tracked down the copy of the book you requested, and it's in the back. I'll give you two some time to explore, and just let me know when you're ready."

"Thank you," Emmett said.

"Thank you very much," I echoed. We browsed the store for an hour, and I picked up a few books that I didn't have yet and wanted to read. I bought the books, refusing to allow Emmett to pay for them.

"Sir, would you like to purchase the book I have on hold for you now, or would you like to pick it up at another time?" Mr. Kendall asked.

"Now, please." Emmett groped his pockets for his wallet. "Damn, I think I left my wallet in the limo. I'll have to run out and get it."

"I'll get it for you, Emmett," I said and hurried toward the door.

EPOV

When I heard the door close behind Bella, I pulled my debit card out of my pocket and handed it to Mr. Kendall.

"Hurry and ring it up. I don't want her to know how much it costs, or she won't accept it." He rang the book up and swiped my card through. I had to sign for it, but I've learned over the years how to write my name. As long as I don't pick the pen up, I'm okay. Mr. Kendall was slipping the book into a bag when Bella came back in.

"Hey, Bells, I found my card in my pocket. I must have put it in there after the restaurant," I said. "I'm sorry you went all the way out there for nothing."

"It's okay," she said, squeezing my hand. "What book did you get?"

"I'll show you when we get out to the car," I said teasingly.

"Okay." She sounded a little confused.

"Thank you again, Mr. Kendall," I said to him.

"Yes, thank you," Bella agreed with me.

"You're most welcome, both of you. You two have a good night now."

We left and got into the limo. I asked the driver to take us back to Bella's house.

"Aren't you going to show me what book you bought?" she asked.

"Yes, keep your pants on," I teased. She lightly smacked me on the arm. I held out the bag to her. "It's for you. Alice told me you said it was your favorite book, so I thought you might like to have this copy."

I heard her slide it out of the bag. "Wuthering Heights?" she said. "Emmett this is very sweet of you, but I already have this book."

"Look in the front cover," I told her. She opened it and I heard her gasp.

"It's signed?" she managed to get out. "By Emily Brontë! Emmett, this must have cost a fortune!"

"Not that bad," I laughed. "Besides, you're worth it."

"Emmett, this is amazing, but I can't accept it, as much as I want to."

"Why not?" I pouted.

"Because it's too much. Besides, what if it doesn't work out between us? I can't keep something as valuable and expensive as this."

"Please, Bella, keep the book. I want you to have it, even if you break up with me right now. The expense doesn't matter, it was pocket change compared to what I have access to. Please, Bells." I didn't usually have to beg so hard to get someone to accept a gift. She sighed and relented.

"All right. Thank you, Emmett. I love you."

"I love you too, Bells." I brought her hand up to mine and kissed it gently. The rest of the way home was spent in peaceful quiet, with my arm wrapped around Bella, and her leaning against me. We arrived at her house and I walked her up to the front door.

"Did you have a good time tonight, Bella?" I asked.

"Yes, it was a wonderful night," she said. "Thank you, Em, for everything."

"Thank you for agreeing. I'd better get going home so you can go to bed. Can I call you tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yes, of course."

BPOV

Emmett is such a sweetheart. I can't believe he got me a signed copy of Wuthering Heights! On impulse, I reached up and pulled him down a little so I could give him a light kiss on the lips. He was a little surprised at first, but he kissed me back.

"Good night, Emmett," I said shyly, blushing.

"Good night, Bella. I love you."

"I love you too." I watched him walk back to the limo, and then watched as it pulled away before going inside the house. Charlie was waiting up, watching the game.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"Amazing," I said dreamily. "He took me to a really nice French restaurant in Port Angeles, and then to this little bookstore that had a ton of amazing books. He got me a signed copy of Wuthering Heights."

"Well, I'm glad you had a good time. I'm going to head off for bed now that you're home."

"You didn't have to wait up for me, Dad," I said.

"Yes, I did," he replied. "I'm your father and it's my duty to make sure you're home safely."

"Yes, Daddy," I relented, kissing him on the cheek. "Good night." I headed up to my room, took a shower, changed into pajamas, and climbed into bed. It was a good thing tomorrow was Sunday, because I was awake until three in the morning, thinking about Emmett.

A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter! I'm sorry it took so long to write. I've been otherwise occupied. Hopefully the next update will come much sooner. Reviews are always good incentive!

[1] Bonjour, j'mappelle Pierre. Hello, my name is Pierre.

[2] Oui. Yes.

[3] Merci beaucoup. Thank you very much.

[4] Soupe A L'Oignon Gratinee Au Champagne. French onion soup.

I might have added more French, but I'm lazy.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I want to take a minute to thank all of my reviewers. I don't have the time to answer every review I get, but I will give one hint: the longer the review I get, and the more helpful, the more likely I'll answer. But I do appreciate each and every review I get. Thank you, all of you! Also, Chapter Six will stay as it is. I am not going to remove the I love you's.

BPOV

Monday morning couldn't come quickly enough. I had talked to Emmett on the phone for three hours Sunday, but I still couldn't wait to see him. On Monday, I woke up an hour earlier than I needed to and was ready to go to school 45 minutes before I needed to leave. I sat at the kitchen table and bounced my knee, Charlie looking at me like I was crazy.

"Bells, I think we need to talk," he finally said, putting the newspaper down.

"About what?" I asked, not really paying attention.

"You and Emmett. Now that you're dating, I think we need to have the talk."

"Dad, Mom gave me the sex talk years ago. She said something about wanting me to be prepared," I muttered, my face turning bright red. He was turning red too.

"Well, good, but we still need to discuss you and Emmett. He seems like a really nice boy, and I'm glad you found someone you like so much, but you do realize there are going to be some challenges for you two, right? Think of it this way—if there is any chance you're going to get tired of always being the one to drive, or him not being able to do something that you want to do, wouldn't it be better to break it off with him before you get in too deep? I'm not saying you should, but make sure you remember that he has feelings too, and if you can't handle it, you need to think seriously about what you want to do."

"Dad, I know I've only been dating him a short time, but I know I can trust him, and I believe I'm in love with him. I can handle whatever comes up, and he's very independent. I know there will be challenges that both of us have to face, but as long as I'm with him, I know we can make it through whatever comes up."

"Good, as long as you're sure. Now, about the sex thing," he brought up, his face turning red again, "just remember that I'll castrate him if he even thinks about it, and I will lock you in your room forever if you even consider it." He had a small smile on his face, so I rolled my eyes and kissed him on the cheek.

"I don't think you have to worry about that any time soon, Dad. I'll see you when I get home today."

"No, you won't. I have to work late at the station. Don't bother with dinner for me—I'll grab a sandwich somewhere. I probably won't be home until late. If you want to invite Emmett over, that's fine with me, but tomorrow's a school day, so he needs to go home by ten."

"Thanks, Dad. Love you," I said, kissing him on the cheek again and heading out to my truck.

I drove to school in the light drizzle, parking in the front row. I was still ten minutes too early, so I waited in my truck for Emmett and the others to arrive. Jasper and Rosalie got there first, so I got out of the truck to wait with them. Edward, Alice, and Emmett came in less than two minutes later. As soon as he stepped out of the Volvo, I wrapped my arms around him, buried my nose in his chest, and inhaled his warm, woodsy scent. It was the perfect combination of male, clean air, and the woods.

"Hey, Bells," he murmured, wrapping his huge arms around me and holding me close. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," I said, my nose still buried in his chest. He chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest against my cheek. I blushed lightly and pulled away, smiling. He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. When he went to pull away, I stopped him and kissed his soft, yet firm lips. One of his large, strong hands cupped the back of my head, deepening the kiss slightly. I gasped and stood on my toes to get closer to him. I heard a giggle and whispers, and I yanked away, my face flushing red. Alice was the giggler, and everyone else was grinning. Emmett looked pleased with himself so I socked him lightly on the chest. He pretended to be wounded and pouted at me. I kissed the spot I had hit.

"Let's go inside," Alice said. "It's raining." The rain had changed from the light drizzle to falling freely. I ducked my head against Emmett and we went inside.

The morning passed slowly without Emmett, and it took forever for lunchtime to come. As soon as I sat back down beside him, my world was right again, as cheesy as it sounds to say it. I know I'm in love with him, but I have a lot of issues with intimacy yet, and I don't know if I can ever be the woman he deserves. I'm okay with kissing and close contact, but it took me a long time to convince myself that it was okay. I don't think I could handle anything more intimate yet. Jason didn't rape me—he had only ever beat me—but I couldn't handle the thought of anyone touching me more than that. If he had actually raped me, I don't know that I would be able to stand being around any man. I couldn't, for a few weeks after the incident. Now Jason is safely in jail, and it has been six months since the incident. I'd had nightmares for a long time, and then it had tapered off to a couple times a week, and then not at all until just recently.

"Hey, Bells," Emmett said before I could say anything.

"How did you know it was me?" I asked. He blushed lightly.

"…"

"Emmett, tell me," I smiled.

"Your scent," he mumbled, but I didn't hear him clearly.

"What? I didn't hear you."

"Your scent," he said, louder this time. "You smell like strawberries and freesia. It's the most delectable scent ever." Alice busted out laughing and Edward and Jasper looked like they were about to bust a gut trying to hold their laughter in. Rosalie just shook her head, amused. Emmett's face turned a ruddy red. I was blushing like mad, but I was really pleased.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" I said a few minutes later. "Emmett, Charlie said you can come over tonight if you want to. He has to work late at the station, so he won't be home until later. He said you had to go home by ten, but you can stay up until then."

"Sounds good. I'll definitely come over. Do you want me to ride there with you, or do you want me to wait until later to come over?" he asked cautiously.

"Do you need to go home first? Or can you just come on over?" I asked at the same time. I laughed, and he grinned.

"I don't need to go home. I'll ride over with you."

"Good." I squeezed his arm and we rejoined the rest of the conversation. The rest of the day passed excruciatingly slowly, but finally, it was time to leave. I practically ran out to the truck, but Emmett beat me there. He was waiting with Alice and Edward. Rosalie and Jasper were nowhere to be seen. As soon as I reached them, I wrapped my arms around Emmett's waist. I heard him chuckle before he wrapped his arms around me.

EPOV

Bella smells so amazing—I always know it's her, even when she doesn't say anything. I've become so attuned to her scent. She feels so small and soft in my arms, like a fragile flower, but at the same time she is so strong. I know that I stand 6'5" tall, which basically means nothing to me, but she feels much smaller. I long to be able to see her beautiful face, but that's just not a possibility.

"You ready to go baby?" I asked her, feeling her warm body snuggle into me even more.

"Yeah, let's go." I have never seen a smile, but I know what it sounds like when someone is smiling. Their voices take a whole new tone. I could tell by her voice now that she was smiling up at me. I got into her truck after she led me to the door and she got into the driver's side after saying goodbye to my brother and sister. She started the truck and soon after, it started to move.

"I missed you today, Bells," I said to her, a smile stretching across my face.

"I missed you too, Em. I'm so glad Charlie is letting you hang out at my house today."

"Me, too." I have never been as tongue-tied around girls as I am around Bella. Her scent filled the cab of the truck and her voice is melodic to my ears—better than any song or tune I have ever heard. Just listen to me! I sound cheesy even to myself. It's a good thing I'm not prone to diarrhea of the mouth, because she'll never want to stay with me if I start saying weird shit like that. She's too amazing to lose because she finds out what a dork I really am—hopefully when she realizes it, it won't be too late. (A/N: Emmett is not being hard on himself, he's being sarcastic).

"Emmett, we're here," she said a few minutes later. I opened my door and carefully stepped out of the truck, making sure of my footing before I put all of my weight down. Bella came around and took my hand, leading me to the front door. Sometimes it's a bitch being blind, but I can't do anything about it, so I deal with it. At home, we have markers in the yard so I know where I am at all times. Bella doesn't make it obvious that she's leading me; she makes it natural.

(A/N: I'm sorry if I'm not visual ((Lol, pun)) enough with Emmett's blindness, but I'm not blind so I don't really know how they experience the world around them. Help me out if you have any ideas I could use to describe his world! Thanks!)

BPOV

I led Emmett into the house and to the living room, sitting him down on the sofa and going to the kitchen to get us some drinks and snacks.

"Em!" I called, "what do you want to drink?"

"Water's fine!"

"We have soda, juice, and milk, too!" I replied.

"What are you having?" he asked, appearing in the kitchen door. I jumped—the man was silent when he walked!

"Um…I'm having cranberry-grape juice." He made a face at me.

"I'll stick with water," he said. I grabbed a cold bottle from the refrigerator and poured a glass of the juice for myself, then snagged a bag of cookies from the shelf in the cupboard. He took the cookies and the water from me and carried them into the living room. He stuck close to the wall so he could feel where the door to the living room was. When he reached it, he turned in and sat down on the sofa, setting the water and cookies on the coffee table. I sat down near him—not right next to him, but close—and turned to him.

"So what do you want to do?" I asked. He looked a little nervous for a minute.

"Actually, I was wondering if we could try something?" he said, as if he wasn't sure whether to say it or not.

"What do you want to try?" I prompted when he didn't continue.

"Can I see you?" he blurted out. I was confused.

"Um…okay?"

"If you don't want me to, that's cool," he said quickly.

"It's not that Em, I'm just not sure what you mean," I explained. Understanding dawned on his face and he smiled. He held up his hand to show me.

"It's the way I 'see' people's faces. I just…touch your face." He blushed a little. "I can't really explain it better than that."

"Okay, go ahead then."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." He reached out his hand slowly, soon coming in contact with my cheek. His touch was light, soft, and oh, so gentle. His fingertips slid over my cheek to my nose, then to my eyes, stroking the lids so softly the touch was barely ghosting over my skin. After that he moved to my forehead, then my other cheek, down to my chin, and finally back up to my lips. This was where his fingers lingered, tracing the fullness of my lower lip and the slightly thinner upper lip. I gasped at the sensation and the sensitivity of my lips. The look on his face was one of rapture and concentration. My eyes closed as I reveled in the feeling of his fingers on my lips.

EPOV

When Bella agreed to allow me to "see" her face, I was ecstatic. I'd wanted to ask her for awhile, but I wasn't sure if she would think it was weird. I lifted my hand to her face slowly—I wanted to make sure I didn't hit her by accident—and laid it on her cheek. Her skin is the softest, silkiest skin I've ever touched. My hand went to her nose—so small and petite. Her eyelids are delicate. When I got to her lips I was entranced. They are so full and soft. I love those lips. When she let out a little gasp, I felt her breath wash over my fingertips and I had a difficult time resisting kissing her. I let my hand trail down to her neck, the skin there even more unbelievably soft than the rest.

"Bella?" I murmured.

"Yeah?" she gasped.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yes," she told me. I slid my fingers into her hair—it felt like silk—and leaned down, pausing for a moment to take in her scent—floral and warm, like a late spring day—before finally connecting her lips with mine.

The kiss was amazing. Her soft lips against mine was the first sensation…then she opened her mouth slightly, allowing my tongue to slip inside the warm wet cavity. She tastes like heaven—warm, pure sugar against my taste buds. I moaned and pressed closer to her. Her hands came up to tangle in my hair and pull me even closer. I wrapped my other arm around her waist and held her tight. She whimpered a little and pulled away a minute later. She was gasping for air. I was out of breath myself.

"Wow," she said. She was still tangled in my arms.

"Yeah," I said unsteadily. I felt her lips reconnect with mine a minute later and I sank into the kiss, my whole body coming alive at the connection. We kissed for a few minutes, then I needed to stop before my body's reactions to the proximity of hers were noticed.

"We should stop for a bit. I need to cool off," I told her. "Let's do something else for a little bit."

"What would you like to do?" she asked me.

"Do you have a stereo?"

"Yeah." I felt her get up off of the sofa and go to the other side of the room. My hearing was good enough that I could tell she didn't leave the room.

"What would you like to listen to?" she called to me.

"I don't care. It'll just be background noise anyway." She put on a soft rock CD and came back over to the sofa to sit down next to me again. Now that I'd had contact with her silky soft skin and warm body, I couldn't bear to not be touching her, so I put my arm around her. She leaned into me and laid her head on my shoulder. She is so amazing.

BPOV

I opened my eyes and looked around. The late afternoon sun was streaming through the West windows. Emmett and I must have fallen asleep on the sofa. I raised my head and looked at him. A soft smile rested on his face and he looked peaceful. I reached my hand up and lightly stroked his face. He stirred and his eyes opened. He smiled at me and carefully raised his hand up. I leaned my cheek into his palm.

"I love you, Bells," he said to me.

"I love you too," I murmured and snuggled into him again. The rest of the evening before Edward came to pick him up was spent talking and cuddling on the sofa.

At the door when he was getting ready to leave, he kissed me again, pulling me up against him. Only after Edward honked did he let go.

"Come to my house tomorrow after school, Bella?" he asked.

"Sure," I said. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said. He pecked me on the lips one last time and made his way to Edward's Volvo.

A/N: There's another chapter. I'm sorry it took so long, but school is quite literally hell right at the moment and I don't have much time for fanfiction so there you have it. I will try to do better, but in all honesty, I probably won't. Sorry. Let me know how you like this chapter! I know a lot of you are on alert, so I look forward to all the reviews.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Another chapter here at last! There's been a bit of a time jump between this chapter and the last one. I'm really sorry about that. It's been a busy summer.

BPOV

Emmett and I have been dating a couple of weeks now and we've talked about everything under the sun, but we haven't talked about my past relationship. I'm not even sure I want to tell him about Jason and the year I spent under his thumb. He would think I was weak for tolerating it. Renee is the only one who knows—not even Charlie does—and I'm not sure I want anyone else to know. Emmett deserves to know why taking our relationship any further than the making out we do now is going to be so hard for me. I love Emmett, so maybe it will be different…but for the longest time, I thought I loved Jason too. I realize now that he had warped my mind and never cared for me at all. I hate him, but part of me still wonders what would have happened if his parents hadn't come home hours early from their banquet. Would Jason have raped me? Would I have continued to tolerate it like I did everything else he did to me? He always apologized later, saying he loved me and regretted having to hurt me—if only I would be a better person, he wouldn't have to hurt me. Now I'm with Emmett, and it's so different that I wonder if it's too good to be true. I know I need to talk to him about this or it's just going to eat away inside of me. I just don't know if I can bear for him to know that another man has treated me like trash. I'm not good enough for Emmett, and I really don't want him to realize it too.

"Bells!" Charlie broke me out of my reverie, "Emmett and Alice are here!"

"I'll be down in a minute," I called back. I opened my closet to look for jeans and a t-shirt to wear—I was still in my towel from my shower—and pulled on the first set I could find before going downstairs to greet my guests. They were picking me up to go to their house to hang out for a couple of hours. I have no idea what we'll do, but as long as I'm spending time with Emmett, it doesn't matter what we do.

"Hey!" I greeted them, wrapping my arms around Emmett's waist. He grinned down at me and kissed me on top of the head. "You two are early."

"Emmett was impatient," Alice smirked. He stuck his tongue out at her and she just shook her head—it was useless to retaliate.

"Are you ready to go, Bella?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah. Dad, I'll be back later on tonight!" I called to Charlie.

"What time?" he called back.

"Eleven-thirty?"

"All right. Have fun." Emmett wrapped an arm around my waist and we followed Alice out to her car. I scooted in the back since Emmett is mostly too large to fit in the tiny backseat.

"So what are we going to do today?" I asked.

"Mom and Dad are at a medical convention until Saturday, so they won't be home," Emmett said.

"Jasper and I are going to Port Angeles tonight—we're going to do some shopping and catch a movie. I think Edward and Rose are going to study at Rose's for a couple of hours. You two will have the entire house to yourself for several hours tonight," Alice chimed in.

"I see," was all I could say. I was excited at some alone time with Emmett, but our relationship was progressing really quickly. It was making me a little nervous. When he finally got bold enough to ask for what I knew he wanted, it would come down to whether he would push or back off. Logically, I know he would never push me, but there is always that fear deep down inside of me. I don't want to be wrong about him. I can't go through another Jason. I won't do that to myself again.

The ride was over quickly—Alice drives like a maniac—and Emmett and I went up to his room. Edward had already gone to Rose's and Alice would pick Jasper up before they left for their date. Finally, Emmett and I were alone together. I stretched out on his bed and he laid down behind me, cuddling close. We hadn't gotten past kissing yet, but I could tell he was restraining himself from going further. There was soft music playing in the background, but I wasn't paying enough attention to it to recognize it. Emmett's right arm was cushioning my head like a pillow, and his left hand was resting on my waist where the hem of my t-shirt met the top of my jeans. His fingers were lightly caressing the small amount of exposed skin.

"You're so beautiful and so soft," he murmured to me, kissing the top of my head. In response, I cuddled a little closer to him. The hand that had been lightly stroking my skin came up to cradle my face and he eased his head down to kiss me on the lips. After a moment, the kiss got more heated and Emmett ended up mostly on top of me. I had forgotten all about Jason and was wrapped up in the moment until he wrapped his hands around my wrists and pinned them to the bed, kissing my neck. Logically, I knew that he wasn't trying to restrain me, but just doing it on impulse. Physically, however, my body seized up and I cried out, arching up and trying to throw him off. He let go of me immediately, looking confused and a little frightened.

"Bella, sweetheart, did I hurt you?" he panicked. I curled into a ball and shook, adrenaline coursing through my veins. He was going to demand answers after this little episode. "Bella!" he said again when I didn't answer him.

"No, you didn't hurt me," I said quickly. "You just…startled me." He wasn't falling for it.

"Bella, I know you've been hiding something from me. You really need to tell me what's going on. I can't fix anything I'm doing wrong if I don't know what it is." He looked and sounded frustrated and upset.

"It's not you, Emmett. I promise you that. It just feels like our relationship is moving so fast. I'm not ready for it to go any further than it has. I just panicked earlier, that's all." I had chickened out. This would have been the right time to tell him about Jason, but I couldn't do it. I just couldn't tell him.

"Bells, I don't blame you for that. I'm not sure I'm ready either, and I would never pressure you into doing something that you weren't 100 percent ready to do. I'm sorry I upset you."

"You didn't upset me. Like I said, I just overreacted. I love you."

"I love you too," he said, pulling me into his arms again.

EPOV

She is still hiding something from me. She was trying pretty desperately to get me off of her before…more than just wanting to wait before we had sex. She seemed terrified. I never wanted to hurt her and I didn't know exactly what it was that I did. If I don't know what I'm doing wrong, how can I make sure never to do it again? I really wish she would talk to me about this. Our relationship hadn't gone very far physically and that was largely due to the fact that whenever things got a little heated, Bella pushed me away—not always physically, but emotionally.

"Bella?" I said hesitantly.

"Yes?" she replied after a moment.

"Will you please tell me what has you so upset? I know it's more than you're saying. I can feel that much." She was quiet for a long minute.

"It's not you, Emmett."

"Okay…so what is it? Why are you so frightened when we get too close?"

"…I don't want to tell you."

"Why not?" I was hurt by her statement, but tried to keep it out of my voice.

She pushed her way out of my arms. "Emmett, could you leave it alone? It's really none of your business!" She sounded angry and defensive.

"Bella, please don't shut me out. If you don't want to talk about it, we won't talk about it. I'm sorry. Baby, please." I held my arms out to her and after a moment, she climbed back into them.

"I'm sorry I snapped, Emmy. I just don't feel like talking about it right now. Maybe some other time."

"All right." It wasn't all right, but she didn't have to know that. I figured from her demeanor that someone had broken her heart in the past. She has low self-esteem, so maybe she thinks she isn't good enough. I wish she would listen to me when I tell her she is perfect in every way.

BPOV

The rest of the night passed uneventfully. I felt bad for yelling at Emmett, but I just couldn't tell him. He is the good part of my life, and I don't want to fuck that up.

Alice returned from Port Angeles several hours after the argument and took me home. The whole way there, Emmett was holding my hand and just letting me know he wasn't angry with me and still loved me.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I murmured to him and kissed him lightly. Charlie's cruiser was gone, so I assumed he had run to the station for a bit, or was out at Billy Black's.

"I love you, Bells," he said.

"I love you too, Emmy." I turned and walked into the house, noticing and dismissing that the door was unlocked. Charlie must have left it open. There was a note on the kitchen table saying he'd run to Billy's and would be back soon. I went upstairs and opened the door to my room.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, and my world went black.

When I woke, my head was throbbing and I couldn't move my arms or legs. I groggily opened my eyes and noticed I was on my bed in my room. I turned my head to look around me, and screamed when I saw who sat at my bedside.

"Jason!" I yelled. I jerked on my arms, only to find them tied to the bed.

"Hello, Bella, my dear. Long time no see. How have you been?" he asked conversationally.

"Let me go, you son of a bitch."

"Tut-tut, Bella. Watch your mouth. It's so un-lady-like."

"Go to hell." I screamed again and he slapped me hard across the face.

"You little slut. You've been running around on me behind my back."

"We're not together, you freak. My father's the police chief!"

"So what? He won't be back for hours."

"You won't get away with this!"

"Of course I will. We're going to run away together, Bella. They'll never find you where I'm going to take you. We'll be together for eternity."

"You're insane," I whispered.

"Only marginally. The rest of me is just pissed off." He leaned over me and grabbed my breasts in his hands, squeezing them so hard it hurt. He slammed his lips against mine brutally, burrowing his tongue into my mouth. I bit down on it and he screamed. He balled up a fist and slammed it into my stomach, making me retch, but I didn't empty the contents of my stomach.

"You little whore. How dare you?" he hissed, grabbing my face with his hand. "Never mind. We need to get going before Daddy comes back." He raised his fist again and punched me on the side of the head, knocking me out once more.

The next time I woke, I didn't know where I was at first. I could tell we were moving, and I was inside of some sort of van. Jason was driving and there was no one else with us. I was bound and gagged, so I didn't bother crying or screaming. I needed to figure out how to escape before we got where we were going.

The ropes were too tight to loosen and I could barely move. We drove for hours before we finally stopped. A few minutes after the van stopped, Jason came to the rear door of the vehicle and opened it, pulling me out. I cried out in pain from the movement of stiff muscles. He carried me inside a small house in the middle of nowhere from the looks of it, but it was dark, so I couldn't tell.

I started to cry silently, tears sliding down my face. Jason put me in a bedroom and tied me to the bed, then left. Sobbing now, I could only hope and pray that my father would find me, and that Emmett would look for me.

EPOV

I could feel something wasn't right after we dropped Bella off, so I convinced Alice to take me back out to her house. When we pulled up and she gasped, I knew my hunch was right.

"Tell me," I ordered her.

"The door is hanging open. I saw Bella close it when she went inside."

"Call Charlie," I said. I heard her flip her phone open and dial the police chief's cell phone number. She put it on speakerphone.

"Alice?" Charlie answered on the second ring. "Is everything all right?"

"Charlie, you need to get home right away. I think your house has been broken into. Emmett and I dropped Bella off about twenty minutes ago and Emmett felt something was wrong, so we came back. The door is open and I watched her shut it. We haven't gone inside," Alice said.

"I'll be right there. Do NOT go in that house. If someone has been there, they could still be there. Do you know if Bella's okay?"

"I don't know if she is." Alice started to cry.

"Stay calm, Alice. Don't go in there. I'll be there in two minutes." True to his word, Charlie showed up in under two minutes. He rushed into the house.

"He has his gun drawn," Alice told me. After a couple of minutes, he came back out. Alice cried out and got out of the car.

"Charlie?"

"She's not in the house," he answered. It sounded like he was crying. There was a struggle in her room, but both she and her attacker are gone. I've called for backup, but you need to call your parents to come get you two. I don't want you out on the roads by yourself."

"I'm not going anywhere until we find Bella," I argued.

"Emmett, I know you mean well, but this is now a police investigation. I need you to go home and keep your phone by you in case she tries to contact you."

"Don't patronize me now, Charlie. I love her and I'm going to do whatever is necessary to find her." Charlie sighed, knowing it was useless to argue with me over this.

"All right, but stay out of the way. Don't touch anything."

"Okay."

"I'm staying too," Alice said. "She's my best friend."

"Fine," Charlie said, resigned.

"You should call Renee. Maybe she knows someone that could want to hurt Bella," Alice said.

Charlie made the phone call. "Renee, it's Charlie. Bella's been kidnapped. Twenty minutes ago approximately. Renee, calm down, I promise we'll find her. Do you know of anyone who could have done this? Who? Jason Stropes? All right, Renee. I promise we'll find her. You can fly up if you want to. Okay. Bye."

"Do either of you remember Bella mentioning a Jason?"

"No, she never mentioned him," I said, and Alice agreed. "Who is he?"

"He is apparently someone Bella used to date. Renee is flying up in a couple of hours into Port Angeles. She's going to give me all of the information on him then. We'll find her."

Alice wrapped her arms around my waist for comfort. I hugged her and waited for the next development from the police detectives.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry, it's been awhile. School is stressful and this is the first opportunity I've had to write anything other than papers. WARNING: There will be sex in this chapter, but not very much.

BPOV

My head was aching and my mouth felt dry and cottony. I don't know how long I was in the room before Jason came back in, but I really had to pee and my stomach was growling.

"So, little Bella," he said, "are we going to be more cooperative now?"

"Go to hell," I muttered.

"Bella," he sighed, "when are you ever going to learn?" He slapped me across the face and leaned close, so his nose was almost touching mine. "That son of a bitch you were running around with is going to be sorry he ever laid eyes on you. He may say he loves you now, but he won't by the time I'm through with him—and with you. He's going to see you for the worthless piece of trash you are."

"You're supposed to be in prison," I growled.

"I was let out on parole for good behavior," he sneered. "I knew I needed to get out so I could teach you a lesson. You're going to rue the day you ever left me."

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" I cried, jerking on the ropes.

"Because I loved you and you left me!" he bellowed.

"You didn't love me! You were obsessed with me! Emmett loves me. He would never hurt me."

"Well, even if that is true, he won't love you anymore when I send him the video of you begging me to fuck you. He'll have to watch as I bring you to orgasm over and over again, and he'll be helpless to stop it."

"I'll never give in to you!"

"Just wait and see." He untied the ropes and took me into the bathroom so I could use the toilet. He stood over me and watched me to make sure I didn't escape. After I finished, he took me back to the bedroom and tied me to the bed again, then left the room. I was alone once more.

EPOV

Bella had been missing for two days now. Everyone was doing everything they could to find her. Renee had flown in from Jacksonville with her husband, Phil. I felt more helpless than ever. She is my world and I can't do anything to save her. Dad had placed a large award for any clues on Bella's whereabouts, and an even larger one for Bella's safe return. So far, nothing useful had come up.

BPOV

Jason didn't do anything for a few days. He mostly left me alone, except for feeding me or standing over me while I used the bathroom. On the fourth day I was there, he took me into the bathroom and made me shower while he watched. He didn't touch me at all yet. When I was done, he took me back into the bedroom and tied me to the bed, ignoring me when I asked for clothing.

I could only watch as he set up a video camera. I tried everything from begging, to crying, to screaming, but it had no effect on him. He ignored me until he had the video camera set up exactly as he wanted.

"Say hello, Bella," he said. I snarled at him, and he smirked. He stripped off his clothing out of view of the camera and came over to the bed. Sitting down next to me, he fondled my breasts. I struggled to get away from him, but the ropes were too tight.

"Let go!" I yelled. He smirked and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"If you don't cooperate, I'm going to kill your boyfriend. But before I let him die, I'm going to make him watch me rape you and his sweet little sister. He's going to die listening to her screams, and he's going to blame it all on you. But if you play nice, I'll let both of them live, and I won't touch her. He's still going to hate you, but at least he won't blame his sister's rape on you." I shuddered at the truth of the words in his voice.

"You'll never get near Alice."

"Are you willing to bet everything on that? You never thought I would get near you again, but I did, and your father is the fucking Chief of Police. How can you guarantee I won't get to Alice? No one knows what I look like." Several tears slid down my face. I couldn't protect Alice. No one could, if Jason decided to go after her. Maybe if I went along with him, he would leave her alone.

"Okay," I finally said. "I'll do whatever you want. Just leave them alone."

"Sure, sure. Now, we're going to make a nice little tape for your boyfriend. You're going to do your best to convince him that you're fucking me willingly. If you get it right the first time, we won't have to do it over again."

"Just get it over with."

Jason went back to the camcorder and restarted the tape. When he came over to me this time and started fondling me, I didn't pull away, even though he disgusted me beyond belief. "Respond," he hissed at me. When he pinched and rolled my nipple I let out a little moan and arched into him. "Good girl." He spread my legs and climbed on top of me, positioning his dick at my entrance. I knew that once he did this, there would be no going back. Emmett wouldn't want me after another man had me.

Jason didn't go easy. He slammed into me and I cried out in pain. I was completely dry and he hadn't even used lube or a condom. It hurt worse than anything at that moment. It felt like he was ripping out my insides. He started thrusting, and I didn't have to do much. Apparently my cries of pain sounded enough like pleasure to him that he didn't feel the need to remind me to act.

The only blessing was that it only lasted for a few minutes. He came quickly and got off of me. Turning toward the camera, he smirked. "She's mine, Emmett. She wanted me." He went over and turned the camera off, then turned back to me, an evil grin on his face.

"Let's get you cleaned up, Bella," he said, falsely soothing. He got a washcloth from the bathroom and cleaned me up while tears ran down my face and into my hair. My body ached from his intrusion and I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. He left me tied to the bed and left the cabin. He was gone for quite awhile, but eventually he came back.

EPOV

It's been three days now. Bella's absence has taken a toll on everyone who knows her. The minutes drag by like hours, and the hours go by as days. It's excruciating not being able to hear her voice, or know if she's all right. I can't even think about what she might be going through at the hands of that bastard, or I'll go crazy. When we find him, he's going to die.

"Emmett!" Alice called. "You have a package." I made my way into the kitchen from the living room.

"Who's it from?" I asked.

"It doesn't have a return address. Open it. Maybe you'll know who sent it to you when you know what it is."

"You open it, Ali." I heard the package being opened delicately.

"It's a tape." She sounded a little confused. "Why would anyone you know send you a tape?"

"I don't know. Put it in the VCR. You can watch it and tell me what's happening."

"All right." I followed her into the living room, and she put the tape in. We settled on the couch. As soon as it started, Ali screamed out.

"Ali, what is it?" I demanded.

"It's Bella. Oh, Emmett, she's naked and tied to a bed." Alice sounded like she was close to tears.

"What else do you see?"

"She's in what looks like a cabin. Someone else just walked into the sight of the camera. It's probably that Jason asshole. He's—," she stopped. I was about to ask her to continue, but I heard the soft moan—my Bella's moan—and then the scream.

"Ali, tell me what's going on!" I yelled.

"He's having sex with her," she said with a tear-filled voice.

"He's raping her."

"I think so. She's acting like she's enjoying it, but I bet he threatened her to make her act like that."

"That son of a bitch."

"She's mine, Emmett. She wanted me." I heard the triumphant voice come from the television and then the tape stopped. I stood up and stumbled over to the wall. Drawing back my fist, I hit the wall as hard as I could, howling out my anger. NO ONE touched my Bella and lived to tell about it. He would die.

"Emmett." Alice's small hand rested on my arm. "We need to take this tape to Charlie. He might be able to get something off of it."

I thought of something then. "Get the packaging. It was mailed, right?"

"Yes." She sounded confused.

"Where is it postmarked from?"

She gave an excited cry and ran to get the packaging. "Not far from here. A little town. If Bella's in a cabin, we can find out where she is."

"Let's get this to Charlie."

APOV

I drove Emmett and myself to the police station, where Charlie was. He couldn't bear to go home except when he had to, so he barely left the station. We gave him the tape and the packaging, and he got right on it. I warned him ahead of time what the tape contained and he made us wait in the waiting room while he viewed it and ran over it for evidence.

He came out moments later. "There's only one cabin within twenty miles of that town. We're going there now."

"I'm going with you," I said.

"Not a chance, son. It could be dangerous."

"I want to be there for Bella. I won't be in the way, I promise."

"All right, let's go."

"Me too," Alice piped up.

"No," I said. "You need to tell the family what happened."

"Fine," she said reluctantly. "Just bring her back safe."

I got in the cruiser and we left. The town was only about an hour away from Forks. Charlie and the other two cars left their lights off so we didn't alert anyone to our arrival. Charlie called in for state backup because he couldn't actually arrest anyone in that town. We found the cabin shortly, but we parked far enough away that Jason wouldn't know we were there. Charlie told me to wait in the cruiser, and since I couldn't see what the hell was going on anyway, I decided that would be best. As much as I wanted to rush in and save my Bella, and be her knight in shining armor, I wouldn't risk her safety like that.

It seemed like forever, but really it was probably only a few minutes before I heard a man shouting and the officers reading him his rights. I got out of the cruiser and made my way toward the group of them.

"Jason," I snarled when I was standing in front of the source of the swearing.

"Emmett," he growled in reply. "Did you like the tape? Bella was screaming for me." I pulled back my fist and hit him square in the mouth. I felt his jaw break and I was satisfied. I heard one of the cops mutter about how it was justice served.

"Emmett?" I heard my name tentatively called. I turned toward the sound of my angel's voice.

"Bella," I breathed, half-running toward her. She ran, sobbing, into my arms, her arms wrapping around my neck. "Bella, I love you. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you."

"Emmett," she bawled, "I'm so sorry! He made me do it. I swear I didn't want him!"

"Bella, baby, it's not your fault. I would never blame you for that. He'll never touch you again, love."

"He threatened Alice if I wouldn't do it. He said he would rape her and kill her. I couldn't let that happen." My heart squeezed in anguish for what she went through, and swelled with love for the wonderful person that she was.

"Baby, I never believed for a minute that you wanted it. I'm just so sorry I didn't save you."

"I love you Emmett. I don't blame you for anything."

"Let's get you home baby. Everyone is worried."

"Okay."

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and held her close as we went back to Charlie's cruiser together. It was time we went home. The state police would take care of Jason.

A/N: I'm so sorry this chapter was so long in coming. I think there is only going to be one more after it, but if I decide to do more than one more chapter, it will be awhile. Next chapter, Emmett and Bella finally work everything out!


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